by Ndalimpinga Iita
For years, elderly Martha Haufiku struggled to irk a living out of her small land space. She nearly lost hope of improved returns from her efforts. Luckily for her, she was resettled to a farming unit, under the Government-run land resettlement program.
Today, she toils hard to carve out a life of prosperity from her resettlement farm in Namibia’s central Otjozondjupa region.
“For a long time, I prayed to be allocated adequate space for farming on, produce food and improve my livelihood. I am grateful,” Haufiku said on Wednesday.
Utoni Nujoma, Minister of Land Reform, said that in 2019, the Namibian Government bought 13 farms at the cost of 165 million Namibian dollars(11 million U.S. dollars) for resettlement purposes.
“The number of hectares that had been acquired for resettling landless Namibians comprises of 13 farms measuring 76 272 hectares, while our national target was 32 811 hectares. This activity cost government 165 million Namibian dollars. A total of 23 families were resettled,” said Nujoma.
Meanwhile, Haufiku re-calls well about the first day she arrived at the resettlement farm. Apart from an unkempt kraal and open land, there was no other structure.
For a citizen who knows too well on limitations of scarce land and space, Haufiku is maximising on the opportunity to transform her life.
“On the onset, I decided to start with a garden to feed the family and sold the surplus. Today, I can do so much more. I have livestock and have since started producing for commercial purposes,” she added.
Yields are sold at local markets in the region, with plans to trade goods in other parts of the country. Funds generated are invested back into farming and meeting different needs.
“Crops and livestock are making headway, especially with recent good rainfall,” she said.
Despite good progress, some challenges persist, including water scarcity. She depends on a 160 metres deep borehole for water supply. Fortunately, the Ministry of Land Reform in 2019 rehabilitated the old borehole to ease her farming efforts.
However, still, according to Haufiku, she struggles to have sufficient water.
According to Nujoma, the ministry has since rehabilitated more than 20 boreholes as well as installed pumping systems at farming units to ensure the supply of water to ease farming and livelihoods.
In the interim, despite the challenges faced, she aims to strive for prosperity, with plans are underway to grow and improve farming efforts.
“If it had not been for the resettlement program, I would still be suffering by this time and struggling to make ends meet. Thus, for now, my only goal is to maximise on the opportunity and work on the land. The focus is to aid to national food security and protect the land from destruction,” she said. Enditem
