Saving Namibia’s livestock industry: Part 2
Different rangeland approaches or case studies/best practices T
he Namibian livestock industry is in decline. There is a large-scale loss of palatable perennial grasses, widely spread bush encroachment, and Namibia is regarded as a country that will be severely affected by climate change. To counter this trend, the Department of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF), together with industry partners such as the Namibian Farmers’ Union, initiated and developed an innovative rangeland policy that can annually add N$4 billion to the GDP if fully implemented. ProAgri BNZ will publish extracts from the policy document to make sure that all farmers understand this plan that can help them to survive the next drought. The best practices presented in this section are intended to give an idea of methods available and how they have been applied. Farmers need to consider how these practices can be best applied on their farms, and to learn from the presented best practice approaches in order to formulate a plan for their particular farming conditions. Once a selected approach has been chosen, the farmer needs to ensure that the principles are being applied and that progress is monitored over time.
January and April of each year, he tries to allow between 60 and 90 days’ recovery of each camp. He combines this approach with bush thinning to optimise production. According to Hendrik, there are two key strategies to increase production: bush clearing and a four to six camp rotation that allows for a recovery or rest period of 60 to 90 days. He believes that in order to obtain an increased sustainable stocking rate, soil condition needs to be enhanced to increase biodiversity. Initially, bush clearing may be achieved mainly by
aerial spraying, followed by arboricide applied to tree stumps. He budgets for bush control annually. His grazing management has resulted in a steady increase in perennial grasses with a resultant increase in sustainable stocking rate. He advised that farmers should increase stocking rate based on the quantity of grass The visible changes achieved by Hendrik Botha by applying the eight camp method with variable recovery periods depending on the season.
Case study 1: Eight-camp flexible rotation combined with bush thinning Okahandja farmer Hendrik Botha started controlling bush encroachment and improving his livestock and rangeland management in 1996. He now has 40 camps with nine herds, each using four to six camps on his farm, Agagia, north-east of Okahandja. Between ProAgri Botswana / Namibia / Zimbabwe 06
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