Namibia country report

7 Rethinking ‘ViabiliTY’:Reflecting on theresearch findingsThe prevailing model for land reform and resettlement in Namibia consists of small-scalecommercial farming units. According to the National Resettlement Policy, the minimum sizeof a farm should be in line with the minimum size of a viable commercial/subsistence unitin any agro-ecological region, hence the minimum in the higher rainfall areas is 1 000 ha,and in the more arid southern regions it is 3 000 ha. Beneficiaries are expected to becomefully self-sufficient on these units.Viewed in terms of its own objectives and criteria, the current small-scale commercialfarming model does not appear to be commercially viable or financially sustainable. Thisobservation is borne out by rough gross margin calculations.Under optimal climatic conditions and with the best possible farm management skills, astocking ratio of 1 LSU per 15 ha is not likely to yield a gross margin exceeding N$37 500per year on a unit of 1 000 ha and N$60 480 on a unit of 3 000 ha. Although this netfarm income is considerably higher than the poverty datum line of N$15 747 for a familyof 5, it is not clear whether these gross margins leave sufficient capital to maintain andreplace farm infrastructure after living expenses are subtracted. To put this concern intoperspective: N$36 000 is just about enough to buy wire and poles for about 3 km of fencing,but it is not enough to replace a windmill, which cost N$45 000 in January 2009. While theseexpenses are unlikely to be incurred every year, they do suggest that if FURS beneficiariesare held responsible for the maintenance and development of farm infrastructure, they willnot be able to achieve standards of living much above the official poverty datum line.In addition, this study confirmed that there has been little differentiation in the livelihoodpaths of most beneficiaries. Options for exploring different livelihoods paths were severelylimited in Hardap and Omaheke. The livelihoods of FURS and AALS beneficiaries centredaround extensive livestock farming. With few exceptions, having their own piece of land isof great importance to beneficiaries, not only because they love farming and rural life, i.e.a question of lifestyle, but also, very importantly, because their own piece of land enablesthem to better control and manage their livestock.Only a few women on the two group resettlement schemes in Omaheke had taken up craftproduction for marketing as a livelihood strategy, but their success depended on externalassistance to acquire the necessary materials and market the finished products. Even where166 ● Livelihoods after land reform: Namibia country report (2010)