Making the transition from farming in Namibia’s communal-tenure areas to managing a freehold farm involves an abrupt change in terms of the farm business environment and farm management practices.  New farming practices, including the adoption of new grazing management, breeding and herd management practices for example, must be adopted.  Perhaps, above all, farmers must operate their farms as profitable businesses in order to pay off their often substantial Agribank loans.  This means optimizing outputs and maximizing incomes in a sustainable manner.  Further, they must do this in a market environment in which profit margins are tight at the best of times.  Considering constraints such as lack of start-up capital and breeding stock, lack of access to operating credit, lack of equipment, poorly maintained farm infrastructure, and lack of access to information and advice, as well as natural risks such as drought and disease, the challenge is indeed enormous.

It is against this background that the two agricultural Unions in Namibia, the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) and the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU) initiated the Emerging Commercial Farmers’ Programme (ECFSP) and solicited financial assistance for a two year period (June 2007 until May 2009) from the European Commission through the ninth European Development Fund (EDF 9).

The Emerging Commercial Farmers Support Programme (ECFSP) aims to achieve the following overall goal: improved livelihoods for Emerging Commercial Farmers (ECFs) that contributing to the attainment of Namibia’s poverty reduction objectives as set out in Vision 2030.  The direct objective of the project intervention is to increase and diversify ECF’s on-farm income in 8 regions of Namibia due to improved agricultural practice.

The ECFSP has the following main objectives:

• To support emerging commercial farmers to organize themselves at national, regional and local level
• To support emerging commercial farmers to enhance their access to appropriate information needed for farming purposes
• To enhance the competence (knowledge, skills and attitudes) of emerging commercial farmers
• To improve support services to emerging commercial farmers

For further information please contact: The Emerging Commercial Farmers’ Support Programme at 114, Robert Mugabe Avenue, Private Bag 13255, Windhoek, tel: +264 61 271 901 / 271 376, fax: +264 61272 979, bertus@agrinamibia.com.na or ulrica@agrinamibia.com.na