World Food Day (WFD) is celebrated every year all over the world with a view to paying tribute to the founding date of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945.
In honor of WFD, the Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture in Southern Africa @KHSA and the Namibia Nature Foundation @NNF, together with the Namibian Organic Association @NOA, will be releasing a panel discussion on how organic agriculture can improve nutrition security in Namibia on 16 October 2021. See poster for details and tune in!

In addition, we hereby invite you to take part in the WFD competition:
Take a video or a photo of yourself in your garden or your most nutritious meal and post on Facebook and Instagram, don't forget to tag us.
Two lucky winners with the most liked post will walk away with a hamper. Competition runs from 21 September - 15 October 2021. 
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUDMqgpNI7-/

https://www.facebook.com/namibiaorganic/videos/599114521108114

Winners to be announced on WFD, 16 October 2021.

22.09.2014
Call for comment on Biosafety Regulations

The first meeting of the Biosafety Council will be held on 10 October 2014 during which the Terms of Reference for the Board and the Regulations will be discussed. Currently the Regulations make provision for the following aspects of biosafety:

• the first set of Regulations are about GMO’s in food, fodder and processing;
• the second set of Regulations are about GMO’s which are released in the environment; and
• the third set of Regulations are about GMO’s in laboratories.
  

Any person interested to view the Regulations for comments, can contact Mr Harald Marggraff at the NAU office (meat@agrinamibia.com.na).

Public consultations will still have to take place.

It is hoped that the Biosafety Act will be implemented latest during 2017.

Release: 22.09.2014

NOA Course 2020: Introduction to Organic Vegetable Gardening

Is your garden ready for summer? The Namibian Organic Association (NOA) invites you to attend a training course on growing your own organic vegetables. You will learn about basic composting techniques, how to use earthworms to fertilise your soil, how to save water, what to plant when and how to control pests and diseases.

Dates: The course will be held on Sat 28 Nov 2020
Venue: Farm Krumhuk, 25km south of Windhoek on the B1 (accessible with a sedan car)
Time: 7:30 for 8:00 am - 17.00 pm
Cost: N$750 per participant; N$650 for NOA Members
The course fee includes a light lunch, refreshments, and two coffee breaks with snacks
Presenters: Dirk Bockmühl, Mareike Aufderheide-Voigts, Eckhart Förtsch
Seats are limited so please e-mail us to register info@noa.org.na

The Namibian Organic Association (NOA) offers their first 1-day BioChar production course, by Ibo Zimmerman a former professor at NUST as well as Pandeni Nekuta, mechanical engineer.

"Increase your soil fertility with BioChar production."



The course will be held at Farm Krumhuk, 20Km outside Windhoek
Date: Saturday, 11 September 2021
Time: 08:00 - 16:00
Fee: 790 non-members, 690 NOA members 

Fruittree Care and Planting Second Course

Dates: Saturday, 21 August 2021
 
Venue: Finkenstein (outside Windhoek)

Time: 08:00-16:00

Cost: N$750 per participant; N$650 for NOA Members

The course fee includes lunch and two coffee breaks

Presenter: Freddy Beukes from Wolwedans Desert Academy



Seats are limited so please e-mail us to register info@noa.org.na,

The "Fruit Tree Planting and Care" course covers the following topics:

Selection of types of fruit trees and suitable sites before planting
Preparing the soil organically and how to plant the tree
Difference between own rooted trees and grafted trees
First year care of a new tree
Proper pruning and trimming
Pests, diseases and organic remedies

The course will have parts of theory and practical sessions.

17-02-2016
A field trip to a winning farm on 9 March 2016


Join NOA on a field trip on 9 March 2016 to Farm Springbockvley to meet Judith Isele, winner of the 2015 Young Farmer of the Year Award, and NOA Vice-Chairperson, and discover how she puts into action organic agricultural principles in a sustainable and profitable manner.

Download the full programme for 9 March here...
Download the Landbou Weekblad profile of her operation here...
Download the registration for for the field trip here...

11.10.2014
NOA attends AU training


Organic training for the future of Namibian agriculture. A Namibian Organic Association (NOA) recently attended an AU course on organic agriculture. Pictured FLTR are John Mufikidza (NOA), Diana Akullo (AUC), Martha Nataneal (NOA), Manjo Smith (NOA), Jonathan Ocran (AUC).

The Namibian Organic Association (NOA) recently attended the Regional Training Workshop on Marketing and Extension support to organic farmers and practitioners. The workshop, organised by the African Union, was held in Gaborone, Botswana.

Talking about the value of the course, NOA Chairperson Manjo Smith said there is high demand in Namibia for organic agricultural produce as people prefer food that is healthy, nutritious and free from harmful pesticides or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). She said however that demand exceeds supply, so there is a need to strengthen organic capacity in the agricultural sector. She said that training opportunities are invaluable in this regard.

In addition to providing training on organic farming operations, the workshop covered natural management techniques for pests, marketing of produce and compliance with organic standards.

Said AU Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture Policy Officer, Jonathan Nyarko Ocran, development of organic agriculture is a component of the 2014 AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security. Ocran said the programme also marks the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

CAADP, a flagship programme of the African Union encourages AU members to allocate at least 10 percent of their total public expenditures to agriculture. Currently, 50 of the 54 AU countries use the CAADP framework to develop their agriculture.

Ocran said that organic and near-organic agricultural methods and technologies are ideally suited for many poor and marginalized smallholder farmers, as they require minimal or no external inputs and also use locally and use naturally available materials to produce high-quality products.

He said research by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows that organic agriculture outperforms traditional and chemical-intensive methods of farming. He also said organic agriculture provides more public good than any other type of farming.

John Mafukidze, Director and co-founder of Hope Initiatives Southern Africa – Namibia, said the training was a full package with well presented information, that addressed some of the best practices in organic agriculture, and innovative, easy methods of managing pests.

Martha Natanael who was also among the Namibian delegation added that she left with the ability to start her own organic farm, and that she also learned a lot from Zimbabwean and Zambian participants involved in organic agriculture.

Currently, 2,400.00 hectares are certified organic in Namibia through 3rd party certification and 23,079 hectares through the Namibian Organic Association’s Participatory Guarantee System (PGS).

22.09.2014
Biosafety Council appointed

A Biosafety Council was appointed in July 2014 which falls under the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology.

The Council comprises of Dr Herbert Schneider (animal health and welfare), Mr Teofilius Nghitila (environmental matters), Dr Ronnie Bock (public health and food security), Dr Martha Kandawa-Schulz (molecular biology), Etuna Josua (legal matters), Ms Caroline !Garus-Oas (research, science and technology) and Simana Chimana (trade and economy).

An administrative unit with 3 staff members was also created. A Registrar will also have to be appointed.

The first meeting of the Biosafety Council will be held on October 10, 2014 during which the Terms of Reference for the Board and the Regulations will be discussed.

Release: 22.09.2014

EVENTS CALENDAR

4.05.2012
NOA attends African Organic Conference, Zambia

Six members of the Namibian Organic Association attended and made presentations at the 2nd African organic Conference, held in Zambia from 2 – 4 May 2012. The purpose of the Conference was to highlight the importance of organic agriculture in Africa and to set an agenda whereby organic agriculture takes centre stage and gets its rightful recognition as a tool for inclusive and sustainable development on the continent.

The theme of this year’s Conference was “Mainstreaming Organic agriculture in the African Development Agenda”. It focused on the economical, social and environmental contribution that organic practice makes toward the development and sustainability of food production and food security on the African continent.

Honourable Emmanual T. Chenda, MP< Minister of agriculture and livestock in Zambia said in his address, “Organic agriculture is one of the best practices in ensuring environmental sustainability. It sustains the fertility of soils, ecosystems and sustains the health of people. It relies locally adapted, improved ecological processes and cycles, and natural biodiversity rather than the use of synthetic inputs and genetically modified materials. It is therefore important that our farmers are encouraged to practice organic farming. I have no doubt that organic agriculture has the potential to contribute to food security, increased incomes and generation of employment for our people.”

Mr Petko Draganov, Deputy Secretary General of UNCTAD aid, “UNCTAD research has shown that worldwide – and in Africa – organic farmers generally earn better incomes. Revenues are higher because of rapidly growing markets, as well as frequent price and quality premiums. For most African organic products, there is not enough supply to meet the demand.”

This is indeed good news for the organic community in Africa. He went on to say, “(The) combination of higher net incomes and varied nutritious food means that organic agriculture is good for food security. It is also more likely to be sustainable in the long term because the shift to organic farming serves to build human, social, natural, financial and physical capital in farming communities”. Major role players in the organic movement in Africa were present and included the African Union, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

Dr Kenneth Kaunda, first President of the Republic of Zambia serves as the patron of the organic movement in Zambia and brings strong leadership to the organic movement in Zambia and the rest of the regions at a time when organic production takes centre stage in the agricultural sectors.

Namibians who addressed the Conference were:

• Mrs Manjo Smith who delivered a paper on Organic agriculture as a strategy for biodiversity and adaptation and mitigation to climate change. Smith is the first Namibian elected to the World Board of trhe IFOAM in 2011 and is Chairperson of the Namibian Organic Association,
• Wiebke Volkmann from the Namibian Centre for Holistic management did two presentations; “Principles and practices of holistic management and how these can and do support organic production in Namibia” and “Community based rangeland and livestock management as a multiple-benefit strategy for improving meat production with low external inputs”, and
• Judith Isele, Vice Chair of the Namibian Organic Association, who gave a  presentation on “Facing the challenges of organic livestock production in Namibia with the help of holistic management”.

Other Namibians who attended were Edith Kalka, Christiane Hilbert and Suzette Janse van Vuuren.

During his opening address, Draganov said, “We should all work together to increase awareness about organic agriculture and develop supportive policies and programmes to help it spread.”

A vital outcome of this conference is the establishment of the Southern African Network for Organic Development (SANOD), made up of the organic sectors from the Southern African countries for the purpose of working together at a regional level with the outcome of interacting at CAADP (The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme) level. SANOD’s objective “is to lead and support the organic agriculture movement in the region, in order to promote trade, harmonising organic production standards, to address challenges and  opportunities of mutual concern, and to facilitate organic production research”.

Manjo Smith of the Namibian Organic Association was elected as Chairperson. The rest of the steering committee are: Stanley Chidaya, Malawi organic Growers Association (Vice-Chair), Munshimbwe Chitalu, organic Producers and Processors Association of Zambia (Secretary); Heinrich Schultz South African Organic Sector Organisation (Treasurer), Fortunate Nyakanda, Zimbabwe Organic Producers and promoters Association (Additional Member).

300 delegates from 35 countries around the world attended the conference. For more information about the 2nd African Organic Conference in Zambia, visit www.africanorganicconference.com

18.10.2014
New IFOAM World Board

The new IFOAM World Board has been elected.



President: Andre Leu (Australia)
Vice Presidents: Manjo Smith (Namibia), Frank Eyhorn (Switzerland)
Eva Torremocha (Spain), Gabi Soto (Costa Rica), Mathew John (India), Peggy Miars (USA), Gerold Rahmann (Germany), Roberto Ugas (Peru), Zeijang Zhou (China).

2015-11-17
New NOA board elected

 
A BIG thank you to all NOA members and guests who attended the NOA AGM on 13 November. The following members serve on the new NOA Board: Manjo Smith (Chairperson), Judith Isele (Vice-chair), Ina Cramer, John Mafukidze, Stephen Barrow, Nathanael Shikongo and Moritz von Hase.

2015-07-16
NOA participates in FAO sustainability study


FLTR: Edith Kalka and Manjo Smith of NOA, and Allison Loconto of the FAO, meeting in Windhoek to discuss the study.

Ensuring sustainability from ‘farm to fork’ is a measure that enhances food security as it enables the provision of nutritious foods produced without degrading the environment. The issue of sustainability is paramount as the world grapples and tries to balance between producing enough food for everyone and at the same time guaranteeing that future generations enjoy a safe environment. This trend has seen an intense focus on the production and consumption of organic food.

There are incentives that motivate farmers to adopt more sustainable practices, one of them being markets, which could play an important role in the transition towards sustainable intensification. Policy pressures to propose ‘climate-smart’ agricultural solutions and the rise of consumer demand for “sustainable” products (including organic, fair trade, ‘green’ labels) have created market outlets for sustainable food, textiles and energy in developed countries.

In Namibia, markets for organic and other sustainably produced products are gaining attention internationally thanks to a study undertaken by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the Namibian Organic Association (NOA).

“This study is one of 15 cases selected for publication in a volume that explores how markets can drive the adoption of more sustainable agricultural practices”, said Babagana Ahmadu, FAO representative in Namibia. The book is a result of a survey that explores innovative approaches (public, private and civil society) designed to link sustainable crop production practices in local markets for sustainable products in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Linking sustainable production and consumption

Linking sustainable production and consumption through efficient and inclusive food value chains is one of the strategic priorities of FAO. This approach clearly converges with the objectives of the Namibian National Agricultural Policy (MAWF, 1995), which among other priorities, aims to promote the sustainable utilization of the nation’s land and other natural resources.

Through NOA’s participatory guarantee system (PGS) of certification for organic products, Namibia has been able to ensure that the market drives the adoption of sustainable agricultural products. The PGS brings consumers, producers and other intermediaries together on a regular basis to conduct ‘peer-reviews’ of organic farms. The system relies upon the expert knowledge of farmers to assess farming practices and the interest of consumers and intermediaries to participate and observe these assessments. The system also relies heavily upon direct marketing through members of the network, the weekly Windhoek Greenmarket and through Internet orders for the Organic Box.

FAO and NOA interactions with a number of organic producers, processors and traders showed that there is a demand for Namibian-made organic and sustainably produced food, but greater support is needed to set up the institutional supports that can make this food more easily accessible (in terms of sufficient supply, retail outlets and competitive prices) to all types of consumers across the country.

18.10.2014
NOA Chairwoman elected IFOAM Vice President

Namibian organic farmer Manjo Smith of Green Spot Organics in Okahandja has been elected Vice President of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) at the organisations’ General Assembly that convened on 16-17 October 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey. Smith has served as IFOAM World Board Member since 2011. She is a founder member of the Namibian Organics Association and has held the position of Chairperson of the the past 5 years. She also serves as Chairperson of the National Association of Horticultural Producers (NAHOP), which represents horticultural farmers across Namibia. A tireless champion for organic food production, Smith formed part of a team that spearheaded the very first Sustainable Ecological Crop and Horticulture Conference held in Okahandja for large scale commercial producers and in Rundu for small scale horticulture producers in August of 2013.

As Vice President of IFOAM, her task will be to support the development of organic agricultural practices and policy on a global scale. Commenting on her new role as Vice President, Smith said, “I am very honoured and privileged to serve the international organic sector. The most important aspect in serving in this role is to drive the development of broad-based knowledge of organic farming at an institutional level, and then to implement modern, innovative and scientific organic farming methods at a production level” she adds.



According to the latest global statistics, there are 1.9 million certified organic farmers in 164 countries producing food on 37.5 million hectares of land. The global market for organic food is worth 63.8 billion US dollars and the global trend remains positive with a constant consumer demand increase. “In Namibia, this international trend of demand outstripping supply is evident,” says Smith, “households are looking for healthier and more sustainable options, especially in the light of serious questions being raised regarding contribution of the environmental degradation of conventional farming, the health hazards presented with the use of pesticides, herbicides and the use of genetically-modified organisms or GMOs,” she says.

Building the case for organic practice, she goes on to say, “In addition to producing food responsibly and sustainably, organic agriculture holds solutions for conserving and restoring our natural resources. It is the core around which sustainable agriculture can be built, stable human societies can be secured, and healthy ecological systems can be maintained. Organic farming offers one of the best solutions to the negative impact of climate change, and this agricultural approach is critical to Namibia’s vision for sustainable agriculture and food security,” she argues.

Smith concluded by saying that although organic agriculture can promote food security on a local and regional level, further development of food processing operations, using local produce, will assist with contributing toward food security on a national and intra-regional level.

During IFOAM’s 2014 General Assembly, a total of 17 international candidates stood for election for the 10 places on the IFOAM World Board for the tenure 2014 -2017. The results are as follows:
President: Andre Leu (Australia)
Vice Presidents: Manjo Smith (Namibia), Frank Eyhorn (Switzerland)
Eva Torremocha (Spain), Gabi Soto (Costa Rica), Mathew John (India),
Peggy Miars (USA), Gerold Rahmann (Germany), Roberto Ugas (Peru), Zeijang
Zhou (China)

IFOAM is the only international umbrella organization for the organic world, uniting close to 800 Affiliates in 118 countries.  The organisation actively participates in international agricultural and environmental negotiations with the United Nations, FAO and other multilateral institutions to further the interests of the organic agricultural movement worldwide. One of IFOAM’s main aims is the worldwide adoption of ecologically, socially and economically sound systems that are based on the principles of organic agriculture.

2021
NOA performs farm assessments

The NOA PGS Team assessed Farm Olifantwater West (near Blumfelde) early March 2021 and Farm Krumhuk (near Windhoek) end of March 2021 against the NOA standards.

Thank you to all farmers and gardeners for their transparency and hospitality and to all NOA members and interested farmers who joined the assessments as observers! We had a very lively and interesting exchange with all participants who enjoyed the assessments while learning a lot about organics.

2020
NOA performs farm assessments

In October 2020, the NOA PGS Team assessed Farm Bellissima (Okahandja) and  Farm Gottesgabe (near Witvlei) against the NOA standards.

Thank you to all farmers and gardeners for their transparency and hospitality and to all NOA members and interested farmers who joined the assessments as observers! We had a very lively and interesting exchange with all participants who enjoyed the assessments while learning a lot about organics.


NOA performs farm assessments

The NOA PGS Team assessed Farm Springbockvley and  Farm Olifantwater West (near Blumfelde), Farm Krumhuk (near Windhoek) and the vegetable garden of  Wolwedans (NamibRand Nature Reserve) against the NOA standards.

Thank you to all farmers and gardeners for their transparency and hospitality and to all NOA members and interested farmers who joined the assessments as observers! We had a very lively and interesting exchange with all participants who enjoyed the assessments while learning a lot about organics.

What we assessed
 

At Farm Springbocklvey, NOA assessed Nguni cattle and Damara sheep.
 

At Farm Olifantwater West, NOA assessed Nguni, Afrikaner and Bonsmara cattle, Damara and Swakara sheep.
 

At Farm Krumhuk, NOA assessed beef and dairy cattle, vegetables, herbs and fruits
 

NOA assessed vegetables, fruit and herbs at Wolwedans.
 
The Namibian Organic Association assesses Namibian farms according to IFOAM’s Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS). It  is a  locally focused organic assurance system for Namibian organic produce which provides a credible and cost effective mechanism through which producers can provide an organic guarantee to consumers.

It is based  on a  transparent, formal, and systemized decision making process, and NOA members are invited to participate in this process as observers.

Find out more about NOA assessments here...

13.10.2014
18th IFOAM World Congress, Turkey

The 18th IFOAM World Congress was held on 13 - 15 October in Istanbul, Turkey.

The IFOAM World Congress takes place every three years, and this year’s event was attended by 900 guests from 81 nations. Manjo Smith, Judith Isele and Natanial Shikongo from the Namibian Organic Association represented Namibia at this premier international event.  


Above: Judith Isele, Natanial Shikongo and Manjo Smith of the Namibian Organic Association at the Organic World Congress.

With roughly 80 individual events, the programme offered everyone with an interest in organic agriculture, marketing and research myriad opportunities to access and exchange information. The emphasis was specifically on themes to do with plant and animal production. The legal framework conditions, controls in organic farming, the trade, organic consumers and the organization of producers were also discussed.

Many speakers brought home the messages of what is needed to make the world a more organic and sustainable place. The former Deputy American Minister of Agriculture, Kathleen Merrigan, pointed out the importance of building bridges saying, ‘The big bridge we have to build is to the next generation.’

FAO representative Nadia El-Hage Scialabba, reminded the audience that it’s the Year of Family Farming, and emphasized that there was still much urgent work to be done in order to guarantee food security. She stressed that the FAO is already working closely with to create global cooperation for the benefit of organic farming.

The calls for putting theory into practice came from many and were supported by Lyonpo Yeshey Dorji, the Bhutanese Minister of Agriculture who reiterated the country's commitment to going 100% organic by 2020.

The congress closed with Markus Arbenz, IFOAM Executive Director, expressing the urgent need to enable access for people the world over to ‘healthy, nutritious, organic food.’

India will host the 19th Organic World Congress during 2017.

2021

IFOAM – Organics International with the Sustainability Institute did a 5 days Training of Teams of Trainers, the ToToT.

A group of about 17 people from across Namibia participated in the 5-day Training of Teams of Trainers (ToToT) that was held from 11-15 January 2021, Rundu, Namibia. These trainings were conducted as part of the Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture in Africa (KCOA) in partnership with the Namibian Organic Association (NOA). The ToToT aims to address Capacity Development Processes for Ecological Organic Agriculture in Africa at Continental and National Level.

"Knowledge on organic farming principles is still very limited in Namibia. This training was a great opportunity to facilitate the participants with technical knowledge as well as the training skills to act as multipliers of this content. The networking between the participants, who came from very different regions of this vast country was highly appreciated by all." Mareike Aufderheide-Voigts
NOA Board Member and Namibian Project Manager of Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture in Southern Africa

2015
NOA members attend Organic Urban Agri Workshop

Twelve NOA members recently attended a 4-day Organic Urban Agriculture Training Workshop in Cape Town. The training was offered by Abalimi Bezekhaya, an NGO working to empower the disadvantaged through urban agriculture projects in the informal settlements around Cape Town.


Above: NOA members receive training in urban agriculture.

Urban food security in Namibia is a challenge, and it is important to develop the skills and capacity of urban dwellers since more and more people are moving to cities. NOA is receiving increased requests for knowledge sharing and capacity building on the topic of organic agricultural production.

NOA is very grateful for the sponsorship by Tony Pupkewitz which made this capacity building exercise possible.

"In order to increase food security in the informal settlements, people can learn to produce some of their own food in the city," says Manjo Smith, NOA Chairperson. "Many people have access to a little bit of land, and with innovative water usage methods, it is possible to produce some vegetables."

“We realised that we need to put a competent team together that can ultimately offer local training and support to urban agricultural projects, small scale farming projects as well as large scale commercial organic farming projects. This is our first step in this direction, and we are very excited with all the knowledge and practical experienced that we have gained,” says Manjo Smith.

The training course was very extensive, and training topics included planning of an urban garden, production of seedlings, soil fertility management, crop rotation, companion planting, plant nutrition, building compost heaps, applying mulching, preparing liquid manures, pest and disease control.


Above: the NOA members received certificates after their training.

"Abalimi Bezekhaya offered us a perfect opportunity of theoretical training, practical training as well as site visits and engagement with the urban agricultural community projects on the Cape Flats," says John Mafukidze and Patricia Sola-Mafukidze, founders of the Hope Initiatives Namibia (HISA).

HISA is a community based project in Katutura which focuses on supporting the community that are generally food insecure to grow home gardens. They also work with local Primary School teachers and Kindergartens teachers.

As a member of NOA, HISA endeavours to educate the community it serves to care for vulnerable children and offer training that will benefit the community by showing a functional model of a Community Organic Horticultural project that brings food security to individual households, incomes for breadwinners who if they have any debilitating disease can still get participation of family members in urban and peri-urban informal settlements.

The Abalimi project is a good model that taught us how sustainability for community based organisation such as HISA, can help the people to improve their lives. It’s a Win – Win situation, and the project has the potential to reduce household poverty, create jobs for informal dwellers, improve the situation of household food insecurity, enrich peri -urban informal settlements with food supply and consumption of organically grown vegetables to sell and make a living. For a community based organisation such as HISA, this was our AHA! Moment at Abalimi centre and many other places we visited such as the Skye Organic Farm, Khayelitsha Garden Centre, Moya We Khaya Garden and Bambanani garden.   

"The lessons learnt from the experiences of Abalimi on how to turn social gardens into Market Gardens that will ensure sustainability was an eye opener for our Organic Project in Namibia. We plan to adopt this practical model and contextualise it for the community, primary schools and kindergartens within the Namibian environment in the near future. HISA will strengthen its training programme with local primary schools and include the systemic teaching of Basic Organic Horticulture for the urban market as well as pioneer the production of seedlings for Organic market and own consumption," says John Mafukidze.

Martha Nataniel’s highlight on the course was to see the high production in the city vegetable gardens, and how the community sell the produce and earn an income. “The community members involved in the respective gardens are responsible for their own piece of land, which includes the soil preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting and selling. A percentage of each member’s profit is then put into the “pot” to cover the cost of irrigation. This helps them improve their own conditions”.

Urban agricultural is a global and growing pursuit that can contribute to job creation, economic development, food security, community building and the social inclusion of the urban poor and women. Furthermore, it helps with the greening of the city and the productive re-use of city wastes.

"In a country with very limited resources, it is important to explore the various opportunities of turning waste into resources, which can ultimately be used to produce food for ourselves – so the entire city can become a farm", concludes Manjo Smith.

2015-06-12
New organic mark for Namibia



NOA has launched a new mark to recognise Namibia’s organic farmers who are producing food according the organic production standards, but are not yet compliant with the processing standards. This means that the actual ingredients are organically certified, but the processing procedures and facilities are not yet compliant. Producers are encouraged to upgrade their facilities accordingly by 2016.

The new mark (above) will show which ingredients are produced organically in Namibia by marking them with an asterisk (*).

By purchasing products that contain locally produced organic ingredients, you are also supporting the growing local organic agriculture sector. Please buy lots.

3.11.2014
NOA at workshop on biosafety regulations



Manjo Krige-Smith, Chairperson of the Namibia Organic Association (NOA) recently participated on behalf the Namibian organic sector in a workshop on draft bio-safety regulations. The workshop was held by the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) in Windhoek on 3 November 2014.

The workshop will refine Namibian regulations for safe transfer, handling and use of living GMOs. The regulations will cover conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and risks to human health, as required under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The regulations will be gazetted by the Ministry of Justice, as provided by the Biosafety Act , 2006 (Act No. 7 of 2006).