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5.2.7 SkillsAlthough many FURS beneficiaries were satisfied with their ‘fate’ on resettlement farms, theiragricultural productivity was constrained by several factors. Inadequacy of appropriateskills was a factor mentioned by many beneficiaries. Only a few had basic skills in general farmmaintenance, animal husbandry and business management, and many lacked knowledge ofappropriate farming practices/methods. Maria, a retired widow, was allocated a portion ofthe farm Danel. She felt that she did not have sufficient skills to farm, and that governmentshould train people like her before settling them. Due to her lack of skills, she was likely tostay where she was rather than develop as a farmer. She arrived with 60 cattle and 14 goatsin 2000, and had only a few more at the time of the survey.Apart from some support provided recently by the Emerging Farmers Support Programmeinitiated in 2007 to support AALS and FURS beneficiaries, FURS beneficiaries did not receiveany post-settlement support from government or any other agency. In Hardap, 75% of theFURS respondents indicated that they had never received any services in support of theiragricultural activities. While some knew where to obtain specific agricultural information,many did not. Only three were able to access farming information whenever they needed it.The other eight did not know where to access information. The Ministry of Agriculture andAgra were the most important sources of agricultural information in Omaheke and Hardap.The issue of post-settlement support will be addressed in the near future in terms of the MLR’sStrategic Plan 2006-2010, which treats provision of basic infrastructure and empowermentof communities as a separate strategic theme. The plan states that the MLR will providetailor-made pre- and post-settlement support packages which include technical advice,training and support in appropriate farming methods and agricultural practices (MLR2007: 11). At the time of writing this report, the MLR was considering proposals to provideinfrastructure development grants to FURS beneficiaries.5.2.8 FinancesTwo thirds of the farmers experienced farming-related financial and managerial problems.Most required financial assistance from various quarters (i.e. government and bank loans)to finance their farming activities, but often this assistance was not granted. To Jeremiah itseemed impossible to obtain loans to pay for infrastructural improvements. Banks requiredsecurity such as a house or an investment policy, and since the leasehold agreements withresettlement farmers were not yet in place, they could not use their land as collateral. Infact it appeared that the absence of a leasehold agreement with the MLR was the biggestobstacle facing resettlement beneficiaries. Jeremiah, who did not have a lease, was acutelyaware of the importance of a proper lease agreement:It is only when you have the papers that you have the right to get the other people offthe farm. The Ministry only talked about the 99 years agreement, but they have notgiven me any papers yet. I wanted to keep the place neat and I wanted my children alsoto farm here one day. We wanted government to give the land to us. If the land was108 ● Livelihoods after land reform: Namibia country report (2010)
our own property, we could at least take proper care of it and put in much more. Evenif they resettled us correctly, it would have helped a lot. The units must be together inorder for us not to move from the one camp across someone else’s land to get to yourother camp. This is causing conflict and the Ministry knows this, because we have toldthem so several times in the past.5.3 Typology of livelihood strategies in relationto land reformA number of livelihood strategies of FURS beneficiaries are discussed in this section inrelation to land reform.5.3.1 Land-based livelihood strategiesExtensive livestock farming was the single most important land-based livelihood strategyof FURS beneficiaries. Where rainfall permitted, livestock farming was combined with smallscalecrop cultivation for own use as well as limited sale.5.3.1.1 Accessing land for residence and retirementIt has been noted in this report that for older beneficiaries in particular, the priority inapplying for resettlement was to find a secure home. Pensioners interviewed appreciatedthe fact that they could live in peace on their plot, receiving a small pension and keeping afew livestock. For Daniel and Rosa, an elderly couple at Mara in Hardap, the main advantageof being resettled on a government farm was to have a place where they could “rustig sit” (sitpeacefully). They wanted their own secure place because wherever they had gone before,they had to leave again as it was not their own place. However, they would have liked to begiven an official document to secure their rights to the land on which they had now settled.Stephanus on the farm Grootrooibult in Omaheke did not really want to farm, but his wifepersuaded him to apply for land in view of their impending retirement and because shefound life in Windhoek too fast. They moved to the farm in 1997 and were very happy there10 years later. They were still farming, not to ‘get rich’ but only to sustain themselves. Lifein town had been too expensive and too noisy, but on their farm it was quiet and peaceful,and they were very grateful for the allocation of this portion of land. Although Stephanusmight have qualified for an AALS loan as the owner of the required 150 head of cattle, hepreferred to be resettled as he did not have the required deposit for an AALS farm and didknow how he would have serviced the loan as a pensioner.5.3.1.2 Small-scale crop cultivation to supplement food supply and incomeCrop cultivation (or ‘cropping’) in both Hardap and Omaheke is very risky due to the highvariability in rainfall and low annual rainfall. However, some beneficiaries in Omahekewere ploughing small pieces of land ranging in size from smaller than a soccer pitch to 7 ha.Livelihoods Section after B ● Land 5. Farm Reform: Unit Resettlement Namibia country Scheme report (FURS) (2010) ● 109
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© Land, Environment and Developmen
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Leading the Fieldis a publication o
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AcknowledgementsThe three-and-a-hal
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2 LAND REFORM ANDPOVERTY: NATIONALP
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Poverty in Omaheke.Poverty in Harda
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the concern was expressed that “i
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As will be discussed below, a numbe
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from Germany in 1907 (Werner forthc
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2.4 Land reform and rural developme
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The Agricultural (Commercial) Land
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Policy (RoN 1998: 1). What defined
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The determination of a viable unit
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Cabinet Minister who argued that th
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in Hardap criticised government for
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A farm in Hardap - enforcing privat
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The process from land acquisition t
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Herero traditional leaders ascribed
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Table 5: Institutions involved in l
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3 REGIONAL CONTEXTS3.1 HardapSpanni
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Namibia as a whole has declined ste
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Plowing for crop cultivation at Sko
Page 69: Bernard bought a farm through the A
Page 72 and 73: All of the AALS farmers surveyed in
Page 74 and 75: Marketing channels for weaners in O
Page 78 and 79: The tight financial position of som
Page 80 and 81: 4.3 Typology of livelihood strategi
Page 82 and 83: he had about 600 in 2008. In additi
Page 84 and 85: The second stage of the ‘cyclical
Page 86 and 87: did not offer alternative land, but
Page 88 and 89: 4.4.4 The ‘broekskeur en vasbyt
Page 91: in town is too fast and one is not
Page 94 and 95: Table 9: Age and gender distributio
Page 96 and 97: Figure 1: Education levels in FURS
Page 98 and 99: Only two beneficiaries in the whole
Page 100: 5.1.3 Settlers’ relationship with
Page 103 and 104: stated that they would be able to f
Page 105 and 106: cows of all three farmers were serv
Page 108 and 109: Table 19: Gross incomes of FURS liv
Page 110 and 111: stock theft there. The closest poli
Page 112 and 113: 5.2.5 MarketingTable 21 summarises
Page 114 and 115: the remainder of the year, goats ar
Page 118: The most common crops grown were ma
Page 121: 5.5 Livelihood trajectoriesBased on
Page 124 and 125: Previously a part-time farmer in a
Page 126: of the allocated unit, but the numb
Page 129 and 130: e accommodated by the National Rese
Page 131 and 132: 6 GROUPRESETTLEMENTSCHEMESOfficiall
Page 134 and 135: Low levels of education further lim
Page 136: William did not really want to farm
Page 139 and 140: age, they decided that he had worke
Page 141 and 142: which was too far away to visit as
Page 144 and 145: Expenses for the group scheme farme
Page 146 and 147: phoned the MLR in Gobabis to send a
Page 148 and 149: they never learnt to save. They sho
Page 150 and 151: idea was to grow crops and sell the
Page 152: At Bernafey, 7 beneficiaries involv
Page 156 and 157: Housing at BernafeyHousing at Drimi
Page 158 and 159: 6.3.2 Other livelihood strategiesBe
Page 161 and 162: 6.3.2.3 Piece workWork on other far
Page 163 and 164: A shop at Drimiopsisshop as a livel
Page 165 and 166: When Alfons settled at Skoonheid in
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Farm workerLoses job / unemployedBe
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there. Instead, the MLRR advised hi
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the major issues identified in sect
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LaLR fieldwork at Bernafey.LaLR stu
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such external support was available
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formal lease agreement. Many people
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communal areas at minimal costs for
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study sample also complained about
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The National Resettlement Policy pr
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REFERENCESAbrahams, K. 1982. “The
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Namibia Agricultural Union. 2003. A
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Livelihoods after Land Reform: Nami
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