Namibia: Swakopmund urban agriculture flourishing
The Swakopmund urban agriculture project, which started in 2020, has expanded to accommodate 30 more community members.
By Ester Mbathera
The Namibian
Jan 7, 2022
Excerpt:
The project, which is located at the town’s old sewage plant, started with 30 people to mitigate the challenges of food security because of the Covid 19 pandemic.
The first group’s harvest of cucumbers, beetroot, tomatoes and green peppers was sold to local shops, individuals and soup kitchens.
According to the town’s chief executive officer Alfeus Benjamin, the project has attracted the attention of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
UNDP, through its Namibia’s Build Back Better programme has contributed N$1,7 million.
The Build Back Better programme aims to improve the production of nutritious, high-value produce such as vegetables and fruits to address nutritional deficiencies affecting urban and peri-urban households.
“We used the money to extend the project and accommodate more community members who applied to be part of the urban agriculture project. The extension is now done, and new groups will soon receive training as well as plant in the next few weeks,” he said on Thursday.
Benjamin added that the next phase is to construct a market next to the municipal nursery where people can drive-in and buy fresh produce.
Similar projects have been established at Coastal High School and Cosdec Centre.
At Cosdec Centre, about 20 community members are undergoing urban agriculture training, including manure production, that they can replicate at home once they graduate after six months.
Benjamin said the aim is to extend these to all 14 schools at Swakopmund and eventually to each household.
