Namibia: Crops Succumb to Severe Drought

19 February 2014

Ongwediva — The dry spell in the north continues to exact a heavy toll on crops in a number of constituencies and villages, with many people starting to feel the pinch already.

In fact, some farmers have already stopped cultivating, while others have left their free-range chickens to feed on the stunted and drying mahangu stalks in their fields. Most subsistence crop farmers say their crops have wilted, because the rains were below average this year. Governor of the Oshikoto Region Penda ya Ndakolo said measures need to be taken to ensure the process of distributing drought relief food to those in need continues this year. According to Ya Ndakolo there are early indications that over 90 percent of households will be affected severely by the current drought in the Oshikoto Region. This is in stark contrast to 45 percent of households, which were designated as the worst off last year as a result of the drought. The governor further said apart from the constituencies of Onyaanya, Okankolo and King Kauluma that received some rain recently, the rest of the region is very dry. "If it does not rain in the next two weeks the situation is likely to be worse than that of last year," said Ya Ndakolo. He however advised communities in the region not to give up, but to continue cultivating their fields. "The rain is not in our hands it is in the hands of God, we cannot give up now. You never know when it can rain again. Our people have to however understand that crops don't like to be weeded when it is hot, as they die easily. It is better to start cultivating early in the morning and stop as soon as the sun rises," Ya Ndakolo offered.

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