WINDHOEK, Sept. 11 — Namibia has launched the 2025/2026 Comprehensive Conservation Agriculture Program, targeting small- and medium-scale farmers across all 14 regions to improve food security and help the country adapt to climate change, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform said on Thursday.
The program promotes three principles of conservation agriculture, including minimal soil disturbance, permanent organic cover, and crop diversification, as a basis for sustainable crop production.
“The overall objective is to reduce and reverse land degradation while strengthening resilience to climate change,” the ministry said in its implementation guidelines.
Under the initiative, 4,000 farmers and 310 lead farmers will be trained through demonstrations, field days, and exposure visits, with support from international partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Program, and the German Agency for International Cooperation, it said, adding that at least 60 households are expected to fully adopt conservation farming practices this season.
According to the ministry, the semi-arid country has allocated 2 million Namibian dollars (about 114,000 U.S. dollars) for the program in the 2025/2026 financial year, with the bulk of the funds transferred to regional councils for direct implementation.
Regional and national forums will also be convened to coordinate activities, monitor progress, and promote farmer-led research on sustainable technologies, the ministry said.
Namibia, one of the driest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, has been investing in climate-smart agriculture to tackle recurrent droughts, declining soil fertility, and rising food import dependence. (Xinhua)
