Approach
The Farming for Resilience (F4R) project supports the Namibian Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) in strengthening the resilience of the agri-food sector in general, and the adaptation capacity to climate change among small-holder farmers in communal areas in particular. In order to effectively address the wide array of interdependent challenges and vulnerabilities emanating from climate change, the F4R project works on the policy, institutional and target group level and deploys a holistic approach comprising of four main intervention areas: (1) Seed production and multiplication, (2) climate-adapted production, (3) agri-business and marketing as well as (4) food and nutrition security. Through the diversification of agricultural production systems, climate-sensitive cultivation methods and sustainable water management, innovative agribusiness and marketing models as well as improved nutritional awareness, F4R seeks to enhance the adaptation capacity to the effects of climate change by fostering climate, economic and physical resilience of actors along the value-chain of the agri-food sector.
The F4R project is jointly implemented by the MAWLR and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Further collaboration partners include other relevant stakeholders in the agri-food sector such as the Agricultural Bank of Namibia (Agribank), regulatory bodies such as the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB), institutions of higher and vocational education, farmer unions and regional farmer associations, other Ministries, as well as the private sector and non-governmental organisations operating in the sector. With a particular focus on women and youth, the primary target group comprises producer associations, agricultural cooperatives, individual small-holder farmers as well as agripreneurs and schools in communal areas.