Namibia: Young Local Food Farmer Utilizes Home Garden to Enhance Household Food Security and Livelihood

Johanna Kwafeinge Benjamin is a younger yet bold youth who does not shy away from environment herself apart from her friends. Born and raised in Eheke village in the Oshana region, the younger agriculturalist is a budding farmer who at a really younger age was taught the benefit of staying self-adequate.

“I was groomed by a household that will make a dwelling out of farming so I became pretty mindful of the necessity of staying self-ample, especially in phrases of food stuff production,” stated Johanna.

For this reason, the 25-12 months-outdated made a decision to strengthen upon the fundamental farming capabilities she obtained at dwelling by pursuing a qualification in agriculture at the University of Namibia’s Ogongo Campus.

Right after graduating, even so, job prospective customers were few for Johanna, which motivated her to venture out into horticulture as a indicates to assistance herself and her spouse and children.

“Right after finishing my scientific tests I was not fortuitous more than enough to protected a occupation, so I determined to utilise the skills I obtained and started a back garden at dwelling.”

Johanna’s yard is now her main source of cash flow and requires excellent pride in it as it lets her to gain an revenue even though at the same time giving accessibility to healthier and delectable fruits and greens to her clients.

“I am grateful for getting able to lead to meals safety in the county, particularly with balanced and wholesome foodstuff,” she beamed.

Despite the troubles associated in starting off an agricultural small business, Johanna claims she understands that foodstuff is a want and not a want and has therefore taken up the problem to farm so people today can have accessibility to enough meals.

Johanna says most of her consumers are neighborhood associates inside her village and encompassing villages and nearby cities.

Amongst the many obstacles that Johanna faces as a younger food hero, she highlights market accessibility and plant pests and disorders as the most difficult.

“Because of to the actuality that I am however running on a modest scale, my biggest threat is commercial producers who create on a a great deal bigger scale than I do.”

Because of this, said Johanna, she finds it tricky to protected contractual agreements with vendors to supply them with refreshing create as she is new on the industry solution and her solutions are unbranded.

Johanna is as a result calling on for extra help to be availed to youthful farmers such as herself in order to make a safe living out of their tough work.

“Aid plans really should be founded for farmers all over all the levels of the value-chain, from inputs and production right until use,” she claims.

The youthful farmer hopes to very own a substantial farm someday in buy to work on a more substantial scale than she does now.

She encouraged her friends to choose agriculture very seriously and develop into food items heroes for their family members, communities and the state as a entire.

“Agriculture is nothing at all to shy absent from as it retains absolutely everyone on this earth alive. Permit us all be food items heroes to make certain a foods secure upcoming for all.”

In gentle of the upcoming Planet Food stuff Day commemoration, the Foodstuff and Agriculture Business (FAO) of the United Nations, FAO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, H2o and Land Reform is compiling a series of function content articles highlighting #FoodHeroes who add to =food stuff protection in the country.

The world #FoodHeroes marketing campaign was launched final year in 2020 by the Meals and Agriculture Firm (FAO) of the United Nations as element of its Entire world Food stuff Day commemoration to pay out homage to all food items heroes who – regardless of all problems – continue to supply foods to their communities and over and above, specially through the Covid-19 disaster.