Namibia country report

An AALS farm in Hardap.In 1992 he applied for and was granted a loan under the AALS to buy a farm in MaltahöheDistrict. His farm of 8 626 ha had a carrying capacity of 1 500 SSU. His purchase of thefarm coincided with the onset of a drought which lasted until 1995 and resulted in his losingalmost all of his livestock. From 1996 to 1998 he was able to hire camps on Maltahöhetown lands to graze his few surviving animals. He returned to the farm only in 1998 afterrebuilding his herd.Rebuilding the herd was possible only because Kristof was able to find employment. From1996 to 1998 he was employed as managing director of a local business. His employmentenabled him to pay his farm workers and the rent for the camps on Maltahöhe town landsas well as the instalments on his Agribank loan. He went back to his farm in 1998 but wasapproached by the community to make himself available as a candidate in the regionalelections, which he did. Since 1998 he has served as a regional official.Kristof said that without full-time employment since the mid 1990s, he would not havebeen able to continue farming. Although farming conditions improved with the rains afterthe drought, he was still using his salary to covering most of his farming expenses, and therevenues from farming covered the rest. His biggest problem as a farmer was the LabourAct, which he said required him to spend more on labour than he earned. What kept himon the farm was his interest in farming and making a success of it.Livelihoods Section after B ● 4. Land Affirmative Reform: Namibia Action Loan country Scheme report (AALS) (2010) ● 79