The Namibian Organic Association (NOA) has trained 22 farmers and 17 students of the Krumhuk Agricultural Training Centre on the use of effective micro-organisms (EM) in agriculture recently.

EM consists of mixed cultures of beneficial and naturally occurring micro-organisms that can be applied as inoculants to improve animal and crop production.

“The misuse and excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides have often adversely affected the environment and created many food safety and quality and human and animal health problems,” the NOA says. “Consequently, there has been a growing interest in nature farming and organic agriculture by consumers and environmentalists as possible alternatives to chemical-based, conventional agriculture.

“EM use has developed over the last 20 years and is now used commercially in various fields,” says Manjo Smith, Chairperson of NOA.

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Mr Lawrence Othieno, a resident of Magada Village in Nagojje Sub County is a vanilla and red bud chilli farmer. “These crops have kept me employed and the entire family and our income is promising. I have been able to educate my children in good schools and built a house because I always have a ready market for my crops,” he says as he leads me to his vanilla plantation.

Mr Otheino cultivates on a five-acre plot of land and earns Shs1,200 per kg of fresh red bud chilli. He expects to sell over 20,000 kgs of vanilla to Coetzee Natural Products at Shs6,000 per kg this year. A proud Othieno says that since 2004, he has depended entirely on his farm, on which he also grows coffee. His only challenge is fighting crop diseases.

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