An agricultural revolution at Omatako

THE sharp sound of metal against metal disturbs the peace of the small village of Omatako.Then, out of nowhere the San appear and gather at the office of the Traditional Authority.

Omatako, a village situated between Grootfontein and Tsumkwe, is home to some 2 600 people, mainly members of the San tribe. Chief John Arnold summons the people by striking a metal gong so that they can receive some seeds and start to plant their fields.Poverty and unemployment make it very difficult for the San to lead prosperous lives.Only about 10 members of the community are employed.The others try to make a living by farming, working on farms and gathering edible greens from the veld.At the beginning of this year, the Namibia Red Cross Society received an appeal for help from two community members.After investigating, they found that the whole community was in need and donated seeds and fertiliser.Cabbage, pumpkin, maize and tomato seeds were distributed to 136 households.Many community members used to work on nearby farms, and know their way around a garden.They are now teaching the rest of the community how to grow vegetables.Their biggest challenge is to teach the principle of “keeping some for tomorrow”.The people are used to eating the seeds, or the whole harvest, instead of drying some seeds to plant in the next season.Chief Arnold says the community is slowly learning the importance of putting something aside for the future, so that over time they can become self-sufficient.The four-kilogram bag of maize seed that each family received, if planted and cultivated properly, can feed about 150 people.The San have also realised that agriculture is a sustainable way of living.They have adopted the lifestyle of farmers instead of their traditional nomadic way of life and their children now go to school.The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry has also distributed maize and mahangu seed to the community.Agricultural extension officers visited the village before the planting season to plough their fields with a tractor.Some community members have started planting their own fields, but fields close to the pan were flooded and all the seeds were washed away by the recent heavy rains.The area has received about 600 mm of rain since the beginning of the year.”The last time it rained this much was in 1977,” said Chief Arnold.There is a two-kilometre-long communal field where the community receives training from other San people.The whole community cultivates this field as well as their own, smaller fields close to their homes.Some of the harvest of the communal field is sold to buy seed for the next season.The Namibia Red Cross Society is also providing medical help to the community.The San people of southern Africa have a vast knowledge of medicinal plants, but in modern times new diseases have emerged that they cannot treat with herbal remedies.Red Cross volunteers are now educating the community about the importance of visiting clinics instead of relying on folk remedies.Women are also encouraged to rather give birth at the clinic.Chief John Arnold summons the people by striking a metal gong so that they can receive some seeds and start to plant their fields.Poverty and unemployment make it very difficult for the San to lead prosperous lives.Only about 10 members of the community are employed.The others try to make a living by farming, working on farms and gathering edible greens from the veld.At the beginning of this year, the Namibia Red Cross Society received an appeal for help from two community members.After investigating, they found that the whole community was in need and donated seeds and fertiliser.Cabbage, pumpkin, maize and tomato seeds were distributed to 136 households.Many community members used to work on nearby farms, and know their way around a garden.They are now teaching the rest of the community how to grow vegetables.Their biggest challenge is to teach the principle of “keeping some for tomorrow”.The people are used to eating the seeds, or the whole harvest, instead of drying some seeds to plant in the next season.Chief Arnold says the community is slowly learning the importance of putting something aside for the future, so that over time they can become self-sufficient.The four-kilogram bag of maize seed that each family received, if planted and cultivated properly, can feed about 150 people.The San have also realised that agriculture is a sustainable way of living.They have adopted the lifestyle of farmers instead of their traditional nomadic way of life and their children now go to school.The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry has also distributed maize and mahangu seed to the community.Agricultural extension officers visited the village before the planting season to plough their fields with a tractor.Some community members have started planting their own fields, but fields close to the pan were flooded and all the seeds were washed away by the recent heavy rains.The area has received about 600 mm of rain since the beginning of the year.”The last time it rained this much was in 1977,” said Chief Arnold.There is a two-kilometre-long communal field where the community receives training from other San people.The whole community cultivates this field as well as their own, smaller fields close to their homes.Some of the harvest of the communal field is sold to buy seed for the next season.The Namibia Red Cross Society is also providing medical help to the community.The San people of southern Africa have a vast knowledge of medicinal plants, but in modern times new diseases have emerged that they cannot treat with herbal remedies.Red Cross volunteers are now educating the community about the importance of visiting clinics instead of relying on folk remedies.Women are also encouraged to rather give birth at the clinic.