40 gardens project teaches smart agriculture in Kavango

**Maurice Kambukwe **

Residents in the two Kavango regions are learning how to grow their own food, and many are taking those skills home to start gardens at their own homesteads.

The training is part of a Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism initiative that is creating 40 gardens project across the regions. The gardens are split evenly, with 20 in Kavango East and 20 in Kavango West. Of the 40, 39 measure half a hectare each, while one measures a full hectare

Eufrasia Hamberera, the Climate Change Action Centre Leader for the (ADSWAC) project in Kavango East, told this publication yesterday that the programme is already having a strong impact on the communities involved. She said she could not disclose how much funding the project has received.

Participants are being taught smart agriculture and are using what they learn at the centres to set up gardens at home. The gardens grow onions, spinach, cabbage, beetroot and other vegetables.

“We have a nursery, where we teach these people how to care for their plants,” Hamberera said.

The programme also offers forums and training aimed at building long-term skills, rather than focusing only on food production and climate change.

The centres have recently added a firewood-saving stove, designed to use less wood and curb the constant cutting down of trees in the area. Hamberera said the stove is meant to help reduce deforestation.

“The firewood-saving stove is one of the recent initiatives to help fight climate change and deforestation. The stove is designed to help people not use much firewood. A lot of people in these areas depend on firewood, which leads to deforestation. With this stove, all you need is three wood logs, and then you have the meal prepared in full,” she said.

Looking ahead, the project team plans to take the initiative into schools, so that learners can pick up the same skills.

The initiative is funded through the Adaptation Fund programme, in partnership with the Sahara and Sahel Observatory.

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