From seed to shelf

In the heat of the day, on a hundred-hectare farm in Namibia, a group of people are huddled together. They are observing a crop of large cabbages, arranged in neat rows. Nearby a mosquito net hangs from a tree, creating a protected area for seedlings to grow.  The farmers here are gathering skills and knowledge on how to grow climate-resilient crops. They will take this knowledge back to their small-scale farms and communities, where they will plant the seeds of a sustainable future for generations to come. 

With 70 per cent of Namibia's population relying on rain-fed agriculture, food insecurity is a pressing concern. Increasing rainfall variability and frequent droughts are never far from people’s minds. However, in the regions of Kavango East, Kavango West, and Zambezi, hope has been sown. Thanks to the CRAVE Project, farmers are armed with knowledge, physical tools, and a robust produce distribution network.

Launched in 2017, the ‘Climate Resilient Agriculture in three Vulnerable Extreme Northern Crop-growing regions’ (CRAVE) Project aims to reduce the effects of climate change and build the resilience of farmers, their families, and their communities. Seven years later, they are not only in a better position to protect themselves against rising temperatures but are also stronger economically.

The CRAVE Project is financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform (MAWLR).

Across seven demonstration sites with tailored management plans, this project has significantly impacted farmers. The Mashare Climate Resilient Agriculture Centre of Excellence (MCRACE) trained 2,831 small-scale farmers, 56 per cent of whom were women, on sustainable cropping and climate change adaptation practices. To demonstrate these climate-resilient farming techniques and technologies, a 100ha plot was placed under rain-fed production where farmers had the opportunity to practice methods that promote minimum tillage, reducing soil destruction and evaporation. It’s at this centre that you can see rows of chillis, onions, and butternuts bursting from the ground, the farmers tending their crops with pride. This is the beginning of a process that will eventually land their crops on the shelves of some of Southern Africa’s biggest retailers.

 

“This project brought good things; it brought change to our community. Change and development have come and motivated our people. This project gives happiness to people so that they can work hard to eradicate hunger. ”

“Agriculture is an important sector, it is positively changing people’s lives, and we are feeding or helping people in our community. ”

Along with their new expertise, farmers were given access to drought-tolerant seeds. Over 24.6ha, well-adapted crops of pearl millet, maize, and cowpea, among others, were produced. But these seeds were not just produced and handed over—more than 900 seed growers trained at MCRACE on seed production and quality control, ensuring that the knowledge will remain in the region long after this project winds down. 

Parts of rural Namibia are extremely remote, and power is essential to the success of these farms. CRAVE has helped target areas to produce reliable, low-or zero-emissions electricity, giving them scope to expand and increase local incomes. The project has distributed 41 solar-powered water pumps for vulnerable small-scale horticulture farmers and built a 125kW Solar PV Plant and Solar Water Heaters for Mashare Climate Resilient Agriculture Centre of Excellence (MCRACE). These renewable energy technologies have played a key role in improving energy, water, and food access for 507 vulnerable small-scale farmers.

With knowledge, seeds, and power driving these farms forward, production has thrived, and many farmers have moved from subsistence to surplus.

Ten contracts were established between farmers and buyers, setting up pathways for producers to send their produce to major retailers like Spar, Choppies, Pick ‘n Pay, and Fresh Mark, a key Southern African supply hub. The sacks of butternut, truckloads of tomatoes, and bounty of watermelons, now have places to go and people to profit. 

In addition, more than 2,000 dryland farmers registered with the Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA) for cereal production. This is the direct result of the project's efforts to connect farmers to formal markets like AMTA National Reserves, local millers, and supermarkets for grain production under conservation agriculture.

Hundreds of farmers have received mentoring, leading to enhanced horticulture and dryland production, improving household food security, earning NAD 16 million (USD 851,306) from selling over 18,000 tonnes of produce. A total of 20,656 farmers adopted sustainable practices such as crop rotation, intercropping, agroforestry, conservation tillage, drought-resistant crops, water harvesting, and soil fertility management. They saw productivity increase, with many expanding their cultivated land from 2 hectares up to 8 hectares.

GCF is proud to have invested USD 9.5 million into the CRAVE Project, illustrating the transformative power of targeted financing. By enabling small-scale farmers to transition from subsistence to market-driven production, the project improved food security for more than 313,000 people in Namibia's vulnerable regions. The farmers are not just proud of their thriving businesses, but also of the future they’re giving their children and the opportunities now available to them.

Watch this video from the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia as they share lessons learned and progress on the CRAVE project.