Namibia, one of the driest nations in Sub-Saharan Africa, faces a significant drought this year. The ecosystem, our shifting landscapes, and people’s livelihoods have all been significantly impacted by this drought. Namibia’s arid conditions and increasingly unpredictable rainfall make farming challenging. Farmers struggle to keep their land productive. During my internship at Perivoli Rangeland Institute (PRI), I visited various small and large-scale farms to assess the effects of drought and provide support for adaptation strategies.
Drought and bush-encroachment
One of the often-overlooked impacts of drought is bush encroachment, which has taken a high toll on large commercial farms. Aggressive and thorny shrubs, such as Sickle Bush (Dichrostachys cinerea), invade farmland, replacing native grasses and replacing open savannas with thickets. These changes reduce grazing areas and limit the movement of livestock, thus creating unusually high levels of ecological pressure. This reduces the number of livestock farmers can keep, resulting in reduced economic viability for the farm. Drought conditions weaken perennial grasses’ competitive ability, allowing invasive bushes to encroach even more, changing productive landscapes into wastelands.
Many commercial farmers incur additional costs due to bush encroachment, including hiring extra manpower to remove the bush manually or apply chemical herbicides. Some farmers are not aware of which thinning method is best and the effects of each thinning strategy, whether physical, chemical or biological. A growing number of farmers are exploring the conversion of cleared bush biomass into biochar, a type of charcoal produced from biomass through the pyrolysis of organic materials such as wood. Instead of turning completely into ash, it becomes a stable, carbon-rich material. By selling carbon credits from the biochar, farmers hope to generate income to support their land restoration efforts.
© T. BengelaFood insecurity and declining soil fertility
While large-scale farmers face their challenges, smallholder and subsistence farmers are even more vulnerable to the harsh impacts of drought. These farmers, most of whom depend on rain-fed farming, do not have the means that commercial farmers have at their disposal and are completely at the mercy of the increasingly fickle rains. As a result, crop yields have plummeted, especially for water-intensive crops like maize, vegetables, and small grains such as millet and sorghum.
Reduced yields have immediate impacts on household food security and income for small-scale farmers. Limited food availability results in malnutrition, particularly among children and the elderly. The mental suffering associated with food insecurity is manifested in these communities by the hard choices that individual families face. I have witnessed how some families ration meagre supplies of food or compromise so that the younger members will have enough food.
In addition to crop yields, drought conditions also affect soil conditions negatively. Increased aridity reduces soil moisture content and organic matter; this causes compact and less fertile soils. Under such conditions, small-scale farmers have an even worse chance of successful farming, as they cannot afford investments in soil restoration. Drought eliminates vegetative cover from the land and sometimes leads to unsustainable farm practices. When rain does fall during intense thunderstorms, the soil is eroded and topsoil is washed away, leaving less fertile subsoil in the crop fields. Drought thus locks the farmers into a vicious cycle of heightened vulnerability and dependency.
Absence of good yields and the inability to feed their families have forced many small farmers to move to urban areas in search of better livelihoods. Urban to rural migration produces various impacts, such as leaving farmlands idle and prone to illegal settlement and putting pressure on the already overstressed urban infrastructure. In some instances, the farm migrants lose their land, as their ownership may be contested by people who have moved onto the farm in their absence.
© A. ShikongoPotential solutions
Working closely with local communities, I have been part of efforts to promote natural farming practices to build resilience to climate extremes. Our focus has been on sustainable methods that can be easily adopted by small-scale farmers with limited resources. We emphasise the use of organic fertilisers, which include locally produced compost. Such practice not only improves the soil but also stimulates the growth of more drought-resilient and healthier crops. Furthermore, we collaborate with farmers to select and grow appropriate cover crops, including Tephrosia vogelii and Crotalaria juncea, that improve the soil’s health, leading to reduced erosion and higher soil moisture.
Techniques like mulching, intercropping, crop rotation, and agroforestry are at the core of our training programs. Agroforestry is one technique that offers a sustainable means to enhance resilience, as the trees planted with crops can offer shade, protection against wind, and organic matter to improve the soil. These techniques, together with simple water-saving methods such as contour barriers and efficient irrigation methods, can help farmers adapt to a changing climate.
The most rewarding part of my work is conducting knowledge-sharing workshops in different regions. We recently had a capacity-building workshop in the north-central regions and another in Rundu where farmers from different backgrounds came together to learn and share ideas to address common problems. Equally motivating has been the enthusiasm of local farmers to adopt new practices and their ability to rise when confronted with unfavourable circumstances. Similarly, I was privileged to help develop a Natural Farming manual in a format and style that makes it easily understandable to farmers. The effort has further instilled in me a respect for Namibia’s farming communities for the role they play as stewards of our natural resources.
Concluding thoughts
Besides the impact on farming, drought has other impacts on Namibia’s environment. First, the loss of biodiversity due to the stress on natural ecosystems that support many different species of plants and animals. Second, the dry conditions give rise to changes in animal activity, enforced migration, and changing breeding cycles. Third, habitat degradation through bush encroachment and soil erosion, with reduced water availability, also threaten Namibia’s wildlife. Conserving biodiversity is central to maintaining ecosystem health, which in turn underpins agriculture, tourism and other economic enterprises in Namibia.
In the end, drought in Namibia is a lot more than just no rain; it involves complex challenges that need to be addressed holistically and inclusively. Our drought relief efforts should therefore include strengthening the resilience of the community, sustainable agriculture, and protection of natural ecosystems. I believe that by sharing my story, I have been able to raise awareness that may inspire action from within our farming communities and by decision-makers. We must act now to ensure a sustainable future for Namibia amid an increasingly unpredictable climate.
Winning essay written by Thanti Bengela