A group of close to 10 rural youth in the Groot Aub area in the Khomas region recently expressed their appreciation to FAO Namibia for the valuable assistance rendered by the agency in providing them with the means to set up a community gardening project. The group, which is mainly comprised of previously disadvantaged young people, said if it were not for the technical support and contributions made by the agency and its implementing partner, the Ministry of Sports, Youth and National Service (MSYNS), attaining a source of income would have remained a distant a dream for them.

Kornelius Shoombe (26), one of the first members of the Nauassport Youth Gardening Project, expressed how he was proud of being a part of something worthwhile and constructive such as gardening. “Through this [gardening] project I have managed not only to gain skills on how to garden but I have also been able to obtain some income to sustain myself,” he said, adding that the project has so far managed to earn sales of close to N$3000. Kornelius however noted that the group is struggling to increase its sales due to challenges brought forth by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Since the implementation of lockdown measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, business has been somewhat slow, which has negatively affected our income stream.” Kornelius said that due to travel restrictions, the group was unable to sell its produce in nearby urban areas such as Windhoek, where most of their customer base resides. Despite that, Kornelius was hopeful that the situation would get back to normal with the relaxation of restriction measures.

Echoing Kornelius’ sentiments, Petrus Shilongo, the MSYNS Rural Youth Officer in the Khomas region who oversees the project, conveyed his hope that rural youth projects such as Nauassport will see improvement as state measures that impeded them from carrying out their normal activities finally end. “We have had issues with availing the necessary support to such projects due to the pandemic but right now we are actively trying to solve the challenges faced by such projects,” he said. Petrus also hopes that the project will eventually incorporate other agricultural activities such as poultry farming.

Meanwhile, Julia Haipinge (28), also a beneficiary of the gardening project, was happy to reveal the positive impact that the garden has had on her life. “The garden has given us a sense of purpose to do something worthwhile with our time.” “Despite the various challenges we face such as access to adequate water for the garden, I am still very happy that such a project was created to benefit us,” she added. The group of youth have so far managed to produce various types of vegetables such as spinach, tomatoes, onions, carrots and beetroots and are looking to add more crop variety to their current harvest.

The Nauassport Youth Gardening Project, initiated by MSYSN, came into existence in July 2019. FAO through its micro grant funding, Telefood, which is targeted at community level, availed close to N$64 000 to purchase seeds, gardening tools and necessary materials for the erection of the project’s greenhouse. FAO’s support to the project is part of the Organization’s efforts in encouraging youth participation in agriculture and alleviating poverty through food security and employment creation.