Despite the consecutive droughts that have plagued Southern Africa in recent years, Cecilia Amutenya and her six children still have surplus food farming on a 5-hectare dwelling in Northern Namibia’s Omusati Region. “I got plenty of food from my field this year, and I still have enough to take me through the dry season,” she says with a smile.

Even in a good year, Namibia is still rated to have the driest climate in sub-Saharan Africa. The north central regions receives a mean annual rainfall of approximately 270 mm and literally all inland rivers being ephemeral irrigation prospects are limited.

Cecilia first heard of Conservation Agriculture (CA) when she attended a Farmers Field Day at Omahenene Research Station organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) through the European Union funded Action that is working to “Strengthen the capacity of 45 000 small-scale farmers to manage climate-related risks in Northern Namibia”. After the field day, she continued to receive training on CA through MAWF extension officers, with technical backstopping from the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Asked where her motivation to work hard comes from, Cecilia is quick to point out that she does not like receiving relief food aid or being associated with poverty. “I work hard to make sure I have food for my family. I rely on my hands, my tools, my seeds and whatever little water we get. I bury my crop deep where it has moisture even when there is no rain”, she explains.

CA is a way of managing agro-ecosystems aiming to improve productivity while preserving the environment. It is based on three interlinked principles: minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and crop rotation. Tillage is reduced to an absolute minimum. Agrochemicals and plant nutrients are applied in quantities that do not interfere with biological processes, leading to better soil quality and ultimately resulting in healthier crops. Cecilia applied her field with a combination of manure and chemical fertilizer she obtained from the Action and the MAWF respectively.

Emily Shipateko, is an Agricultural Extension Technician who has been working with Cecilia and follower farmers in the Onkani village. On a regular basis during the peal cropping season, she visits the farmers giving them hands on training and advice on their fields. Emily testifies to Cecilia’s hard work and how the practice of CA has changed her fortunes. “I have been working with her for two years, she is a hard worker, she extended her field this year from 4 hectares to 5 hectares and since she started practicing CA the yield has increased and we are getting more from the same area”.

Contrary to the popular belief that CA is labor intensive, Emily tries to encourage the farmers to view it positively. “I don’t think CA is labor intensive because all you have to do when you cultivate is follow the lines. The grass that is in between the lines is left as it is and the soil is not disturbed,” she says.

The practice of CA in this area of Omusati Region has seen an evident improvement in the livelihoods of farmers like Cecilia, who maintains that she is not poor. “Agriculture is not for poor people, In fact, if you are into agriculture you will be rich because when you sell something you get money for your pocket and that’s what I do,” she says.

Cecilia says most of her peers have often discouraged her, asking her why she cultivates the whole field when she is alone. “I just try my best; I know what I am going to get when I harvest.” Cecelia maintains that even for a woman, ploughing and cultivating is easy. “There is no difference between man and women when it comes to CA implements," she says, "everything is straightforward. As long as you believe in yourself, you can do it”.

Complemented by other Good Agriculture Practices, including the use of quality seeds, and integrated pest, nutrient, weed and water management, as well as the use of sustainable mechanization approaches, CA can serve as a basis for market-driven and sustainable intensification of agricultural production.