Kavango East puts youth to work on climate-smart farming

Patience Makwele

Young people in Kavango East are expected to gain practical agricultural skills at the newly inaugurated Linus Shashipapo Climate Change Action Centre in Ndiyona Constituency, as the education ministry looks to link climate action with employment and entrepreneurship.

Paulus Nghikembua, deputy executive director for lifelong learning, arts and culture, said the facility could become a regional hub where young people learn through practical work rather than classroom instruction alone.

Speaking on behalf of education minister Sanet Steenkamp at the inauguration, Nghikembua said the centre would expose young people to horticulture, sustainable production and climate-smart technologies.

“The centre provides an opportunity for young people to learn through doing. It allows them to work with the land, understand climate-smart technologies, practise sustainable production, learn about horticulture and develop the confidence required to establish their own productive activities,” he said.

The initiative is intended to help young people acquire skills they can use to establish productive ventures while learning how to maintain food production amid changing climate conditions.

Nghikembua said the facility could also demonstrate how sustainable agriculture creates opportunities for communities while responding to environmental challenges.

Nghikembua called on residents and stakeholders to make use of the facility and ensure its activities and outcomes are documented.

He said the evidence gathered would help determine whether the model could be extended to other parts of Namibia, particularly communities where young people have limited access to land, training, technology, mentorship and markets.

He stressed that the centre’s long-term value would depend on continued cooperation between the institutions and stakeholders involved.

“The establishment of this centre demonstrates that when we bring our resources, knowledge and institutional strengths together, we can achieve more than any one institution could achieve on its own,” Nghikembua said.

He urged stakeholders to ensure the facility remains operational, relevant and sustainable in the years ahead.