Faith like potatoes

For Okarui City Fresh Produce, the journey into commercial horticulture has been shaped as much by failure and learning as by successful harvests.

Founded in 2022 by chartered accountant Kahitee Keeja, Okarui grew from a desire to build something tangible outside her professional career.

“I think, for me, Okarui started with a desire to build something of my own. My background is in accounting, and while I appreciate the career I've built, there was always a part of me that wanted to create something tangible, something that I could nurture and watch grow,” Keeja said.

Coming from an accounting background rather than traditional farming, Keeja entered agriculture with ambition but soon discovered that commercial horticulture involved risks that could not simply be calculated on paper.

“Commercial horticulture has humbled me in ways I didn't expect. There is so much that happens behind a successful harvest – the planning, the timing, the financial pressure, the weather, the labour, the markets and all the things that can go wrong despite your best efforts,” she said.

Some of her biggest lessons came through potato production. Unsuccessful seasons forced Keeja to reassess her approach to farming while confronting the financial reality of putting money into the ground without knowing exactly what would come back out.

“One of the hardest things about starting out was learning that you can put money, time and effort into something and still not get the outcome you hoped for,” she said.

Turning failed seasons into lessons

Rather than abandoning the crop, Keeja used those setbacks to identify what she needed to learn and where she needed support.

Her participation in the Potato Value Chain Development Scheme became an important part of that process, giving her access to knowledge, support and opportunities to learn from others in the sector.

“I wouldn't say I have mastered potato production. I am still learning. But I approach it with a different level of awareness, humility and appreciation for the process than I did when I started,” Keeja said.

The experience also changed her understanding of what it means to be a farmer. While her accounting background had taught her to work with figures, farming showed her that financial management and production cannot be separated.

“I understand that revenue does not automatically mean profitability, and profitability does not always mean that you have cash available,” she said.

For Keeja, running Okarui means considering more than whether a crop can grow. Production costs, water, market demand, risk, harvesting and what happens to the crop afterwards all have to be considered before planting.

“I think one of the biggest mistakes is underestimating what it actually costs to farm,” she said.

She also warns against confusing sales with profit and stresses the importance of understanding the market before investing heavily in production. “A crop is not truly a business opportunity until you have thought about how you will sell it and get paid,” Keeja said.

Growing with the market

This market-focused approach has become increasingly important as Okarui has expanded beyond potatoes and explored opportunities to diversify its vegetable production.

Keeja believes Namibia has significant potential to increase local food production and reduce reliance on imported vegetables, but says simply producing more is not enough. “We need to be able to produce consistently, meet quality requirements, manage costs and supply the market when it needs us,” she said.

For Keeja, diversification is therefore not about planting as many crops as possible. It is about identifying crops for which there is demand and ensuring the business has the capacity to produce them sustainably.

“I don't want Okarui to be dependent on one crop alone. I want us to gradually expand our vegetable offering in a way that responds to actual market demand,” she said.

Increasing production brings another challenge: what happens after the crop leaves the field?

Fresh produce is highly perishable, and Keeja says harvesting is only the beginning of another important stage involving sorting, packaging, transport and storage.

Okarui’s post-harvest capacity is an area Keeja wants to strengthen as the business grows, particularly through improved storage and cooling facilities. “Without suitable storage and cooling facilities, managing produce between harvesting and transportation becomes more challenging,” she said.

For Keeja, this is not only about protecting Okarui’s own produce. It is part of what she believes needs to happen if Namibia is to build a stronger local horticulture industry.

She sees opportunities for greater local production across a range of vegetables, but says producers need the infrastructure, financing, technical knowledge and market access to turn that potential into sustainable businesses.

“Support needs to go beyond helping farmers get into production. We also need to look at what happens after the crop is grown,” Keeja said.

No farmer grows alone

Her experience has also changed her attitude towards collaboration. Initially comfortable working independently, Keeja says farming taught her that producers cannot build sustainable businesses in isolation.

“No farmer knows everything. We all have different experiences, strengths and lessons to share,” she said.

That lesson has become one of the most important parts of her journey. For Keeja, asking for help is no longer something she sees as a weakness, but as part of becoming a better producer.

“I have come to appreciate that sometimes growth means allowing others to walk alongside you,” she said.

Ultimately, Okarui’s story is about more than one farm or one producer. It reflects a broader challenge facing Namibia's horticulture sector: producing more food locally while ensuring farmers can manage the financial, technical and logistical demands of commercial production.

“I want Okarui to become a business that creates employment, contributes to local food production and demonstrates what is possible when you are willing to start small, learn and keep building,” she said.

For someone who entered agriculture without a traditional farming background, Keeja says the setbacks have not changed her belief in the business. Instead, they have shaped how she approaches the future.

“I would still take the leap. I would just give myself permission to learn along the way,” she said.

And perhaps that is the biggest lesson from Okarui’s journey: local food production is not built through planting alone. It is built through learning from failed seasons, understanding the numbers, knowing the market, investing in infrastructure and being willing to work with others. As Keeja puts it: “We have a responsibility to strengthen local food production, but we do not have to do it alone. I truly believe that there is room for all of us to grow, and that together, we can build something that will outlast us.”