Agriculture experts gather at Otjiwarongo for climate change resilience workshop

More than 50 experts in agriculture are participating in a workshop at Otjiwarongo, where they will create a document that will aid farmers in enhancing food production amidst the challenges posed by climate change.

The two-day workshop, which commenced on Wednesday, is jointly organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform (MAWLR), the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), and the GIZ agriculture department.

Erich Petrus, the Acting Director for the Directorate of Agriculture, Production, Extension, and Engineering Services, addressed the attendees, saying the workshop will review the initial document on the Comprehensive Conservation Agriculture Programme (CCAP1) for 2015. It will subsequently validate a similar tentative document for CCAP11 covering the period 2023-2027.

Petrus emphasised that these documents serve as crucial tools for agricultural extension and engineering officials and farmers. The documents were originally developed by experts in 2015 to equip farmers with the necessary knowledge to cope with the impacts of climate change.

He further encouraged all participants to critically assess the documents and contribute any new practical knowledge, skills, and relevant observations obtained during their field work.

The workshop’s discussions will cover topics such as natural resource protection, organic soil cover through agroforestry promotion, and the encouragement of inter-cropping and diversification. These topics are intended to be integrated into the CCAP11 document, which will conclude in 2027.

The workshop is being facilitated by ecologists, agronomists, and statisticians from FAO, GIZ, and MAWLR.

Source: NAMPA