Emerging farmers need skills, collateral

Formerly disadvantaged Namibians who have taken up farming under the government's land reform programme are in dire need of skills and farm management training, as well as collateral for obtaining credit, according to a new report. 'Skills and Training Needs of Emerging Farmers' was released on Friday last week at the first national workshop for black farmers who had been resettled by the government on formerly white-owned commercial farms, or had bought their own farms under the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme of the Agricultural Bank (AgriBank) of Namibia. The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), which represents about 3,800 mostly white commercial farmers, commissioned the study. In 2004 the NAU and the Namibia National Farmers' Union (NNFU), whose membership consists of about 15,000 mainly communal farmers, embarked on a joint national training and skills programme for black farmers, assisted by some donor aid from Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. "We have discussed a draft action plan to start on a larger scale from July 2005 onwards," a NAU official told IRIN after the workshop. "The plan involves training courses and information courses, marketing skills, and mentorship programmes between established commercial farmers and new farmers, until 2008," said Oliver Horsthemke, manager for research and development at the NAU. The joint venture to provide skills training and information programmes would require about Nam $31.5 million (US $5.1 million). "Submissions have been made to national and international donors to support this project," Horsthemke added. The report on the need for skills training for emerging farmers - both on government resettlement farms and on the approximately 620 units privately owned through the AgriBank affirmative action loan scheme - said they "had not received [from government] the support in terms of agricultural and other services, as well as training they require, to become successful farmers". "Training needs range from technical skills, such as welding and mechanical maintenance, to improved knowledge about livestock breeding and animal health, as well as financial management," the experts stated in the report. Another problem was the lack of collateral to enable them to buy farm implements or breeding stock to improve the quality of their herds. "Land tenure security rights are important, and proper lease agreements must be drawn up and registered for the resettled farmers," the report recommended. "To date not a single lease agreement has been registered at the Deeds Office." The Namibian government has so far bought about 135 white-owned farms under its land reform programme, on which approximately 37,000 people have been resettled.