Empowering farmers essential for sustainable livestock economy
Namibia’s livestock sector has significant untapped potential to reduce poverty and drive economic growth, but meaningful transformation will require clear policies, access to finance, and strong collaboration between government and farmers, according to Prof Johann Kirsten of Stellenbosch University.
Speaking at the 2025 Agri Outlook conference in Windhoek, Kirsten outlined a framework for “inclusive and sustainable growth” in Namibia’s livestock economy, drawing lessons from South Africa and global agricultural research.
“Growth in agriculture is generally two to three times more effective at reducing poverty than an equivalent amount of growth generated outside agriculture. The advantage of agriculture in reducing poverty is largest for the poorest individuals in society,” the presentation noted.
He highlighted that widespread adoption of innovation in farming practices not only boosts producer income but also creates employment opportunities and reduces consumer prices.
The professor emphasised the need to shift Namibia’s livestock sector from low-productivity, subsistence-based systems to “a more modern, high-productivity, market-oriented, and sustainable system”. Achieving this, he said, requires interventions focused on increasing productivity, value addition, market orientation, modern technology, improved access to finance, and institutional reforms.
“Much of what is needed requires public goods – therefore effective government is critical,” Kirsten said, urging authorities to take an active role in creating growth-enabling conditions.
Government’s enabling role
Kirsten stressed that the government’s responsibility is “to create an enabling environment”, encouraging private investment and removing distortions in input and output markets. “We must promote effective competition in the marketplace,” he said.
He also called for programmes that reduce investment risks, including support for technology generation, verification and transfer. Drawing on Namibia’s 2015 Agricultural Policy, he noted that many of these principles already exist on paper but require consistent implementation.
Addressing the role of farmers’ organisations, Kirsten acknowledged that unions are vital for lobbying, advocacy and representing farmers’ interests, but warned that fragmentation undermines progress.
“We have too many, and it sometimes leads to fragmentation, duplication of knowledge, lots of confusion, and we spend a lot of time arguing and debating things that are not moving us ahead to the transformation process,” he said.
He explained that unions are often organised along racial, cultural or tribal lines and may compete for the same farmer constituency, limiting their ability to drive sector-wide change. “They all have the same purpose: to promote inclusive growth; to promote commercial agriculture,” he said, cautioning that internal divisions slow momentum.
Lessons from South Africa
Kirsten highlighted successful initiatives in South Africa that could guide Namibia. The National Wool Growers Association helped communal farmers in the Eastern Cape drastically increase income through training, infrastructure and market access.
Previously, farmers “just sheared the sheep and put it in plastic bags and then gave it to the nearby agent... So they got very low prices for their wool. In 1999, when they did the first survey, the total revenue of all those farmers for wool was roughly about a million rand. So then they decided, let’s get interventions going,” he said.
Interventions included building proper shearing sheds, teaching skills in shearing and wool classing, linking farmers to agents and auctions, and improving genetics through ram distribution. Within 15 years, communal wool revenue increased from one million to half a billion rand.
The success came with minimal government intervention, but strong farmer involvement. “With simple interventions, you have farmers now in the commercial industry, in the export market. And their wool is going on auction and getting the same price as any commercial farmer,” he said.
He also pointed to South Africa’s early farmer-settlement programmes (1930s–1950s), where state support for land, infrastructure, extension services and markets helped farmers succeed. The principle that farmers must have “skin in the game”, while receiving subsidies for verified investments, was highlighted as a model for sustainable transformation.
Access to finance is critical
Kirsten underlined that access to affordable, patient capital is essential for scaling production and modernising farming. He noted that cheap finance had been pivotal in South Africa: “Most of commercial agriculture in South Africa was built on cheap capital. Cheap finance through the Land Bank and the Agriculture Credit Board, and I think in similar ways much of Namibia experiences the same benefits.”
He warned that transformation cannot rely on free handouts. Farmers must finance operations through agricultural banks or cooperatives and claim subsidies only after verified investment in infrastructure or climate-smart practices.
Clear policies and market integration
To successfully transform the sector, Kirsten argued for well-designed policy instruments aligned with incentives, clear land-tenure systems, improved market access and the provision of public goods.
“The process of modernising or transforming the agricultural sector to a market-oriented sector requires carefully designed policy instruments, an enabling environment, farmers having skin in the game... public-good provisions and removing constraints that prohibit integration into the market economy,” he said.
Kirsten’s recommendations underscore the importance of strategic investment, collaboration and market-oriented reforms in Namibia’s livestock sector. His message is clear: sustainable growth is possible if government, farmers’ unions and the private sector align on shared goals and equip farmers with the tools and incentives to succeed.
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Speaking at the 2025 Agri Outlook conference in Windhoek, Kirsten outlined a framework for “inclusive and sustainable growth” in Namibia’s livestock economy, drawing lessons from South Africa and global agricultural research.
“Growth in agriculture is generally two to three times more effective at reducing poverty than an equivalent amount of growth generated outside agriculture. The advantage of agriculture in reducing poverty is largest for the poorest individuals in society,” the presentation noted.
He highlighted that widespread adoption of innovation in farming practices not only boosts producer income but also creates employment opportunities and reduces consumer prices.
The professor emphasised the need to shift Namibia’s livestock sector from low-productivity, subsistence-based systems to “a more modern, high-productivity, market-oriented, and sustainable system”. Achieving this, he said, requires interventions focused on increasing productivity, value addition, market orientation, modern technology, improved access to finance, and institutional reforms.
“Much of what is needed requires public goods – therefore effective government is critical,” Kirsten said, urging authorities to take an active role in creating growth-enabling conditions.
Government’s enabling role
Kirsten stressed that the government’s responsibility is “to create an enabling environment”, encouraging private investment and removing distortions in input and output markets. “We must promote effective competition in the marketplace,” he said.
He also called for programmes that reduce investment risks, including support for technology generation, verification and transfer. Drawing on Namibia’s 2015 Agricultural Policy, he noted that many of these principles already exist on paper but require consistent implementation.
Addressing the role of farmers’ organisations, Kirsten acknowledged that unions are vital for lobbying, advocacy and representing farmers’ interests, but warned that fragmentation undermines progress.
“We have too many, and it sometimes leads to fragmentation, duplication of knowledge, lots of confusion, and we spend a lot of time arguing and debating things that are not moving us ahead to the transformation process,” he said.
He explained that unions are often organised along racial, cultural or tribal lines and may compete for the same farmer constituency, limiting their ability to drive sector-wide change. “They all have the same purpose: to promote inclusive growth; to promote commercial agriculture,” he said, cautioning that internal divisions slow momentum.
Lessons from South Africa
Kirsten highlighted successful initiatives in South Africa that could guide Namibia. The National Wool Growers Association helped communal farmers in the Eastern Cape drastically increase income through training, infrastructure and market access.
Previously, farmers “just sheared the sheep and put it in plastic bags and then gave it to the nearby agent... So they got very low prices for their wool. In 1999, when they did the first survey, the total revenue of all those farmers for wool was roughly about a million rand. So then they decided, let’s get interventions going,” he said.
Interventions included building proper shearing sheds, teaching skills in shearing and wool classing, linking farmers to agents and auctions, and improving genetics through ram distribution. Within 15 years, communal wool revenue increased from one million to half a billion rand.
The success came with minimal government intervention, but strong farmer involvement. “With simple interventions, you have farmers now in the commercial industry, in the export market. And their wool is going on auction and getting the same price as any commercial farmer,” he said.
He also pointed to South Africa’s early farmer-settlement programmes (1930s–1950s), where state support for land, infrastructure, extension services and markets helped farmers succeed. The principle that farmers must have “skin in the game”, while receiving subsidies for verified investments, was highlighted as a model for sustainable transformation.
Access to finance is critical
Kirsten underlined that access to affordable, patient capital is essential for scaling production and modernising farming. He noted that cheap finance had been pivotal in South Africa: “Most of commercial agriculture in South Africa was built on cheap capital. Cheap finance through the Land Bank and the Agriculture Credit Board, and I think in similar ways much of Namibia experiences the same benefits.”
He warned that transformation cannot rely on free handouts. Farmers must finance operations through agricultural banks or cooperatives and claim subsidies only after verified investment in infrastructure or climate-smart practices.
Clear policies and market integration
To successfully transform the sector, Kirsten argued for well-designed policy instruments aligned with incentives, clear land-tenure systems, improved market access and the provision of public goods.
“The process of modernising or transforming the agricultural sector to a market-oriented sector requires carefully designed policy instruments, an enabling environment, farmers having skin in the game... public-good provisions and removing constraints that prohibit integration into the market economy,” he said.
Kirsten’s recommendations underscore the importance of strategic investment, collaboration and market-oriented reforms in Namibia’s livestock sector. His message is clear: sustainable growth is possible if government, farmers’ unions and the private sector align on shared goals and equip farmers with the tools and incentives to succeed.
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