“Fruits and vegetables are a vital part of who we are,” says Namibian farmer
Eunda, Namibia - Shetuuka Shetuuka has always had a passion for farming, particularly gardening. Growing up in Eunda, a small village in Omusati region, north-central Namibia, farming played a dominant role in his life.
“My mother nurtured in me a passion for gardening at a very early age,” said Shetuuka. “At 10 years old she had already built me a small garden to work on; this is where my interest in agriculture and food production began.”
In 2008 after completing his matric, Shetuuka received a small portion of land owned by his mother as a gift in a bid to help him venture out into full-time farming. “I knew that there was money to be made in farming, particularly in horticulture, and I was lucky that my mother believed it too,” he said happily.
Farming as a hobby
A typical day in Shetuuka’s busy schedule starts with scouting for pests on his crops before trying to establish whether his plants need more fertilizer and then proceeds to water them.
This is a daily routine that he says never tires him because he does not see it as a mundane task but as something that greatly excites and satisfies him. “If you are doing what you love you will never work a day in your life,” he says.
Shetuuka says he is proud to be playing an integral part in keeping the food chain alive and feels honoured to be contributing to food security in the country despite challenges such as lack of access to finance and costly agricultural inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides.
“Fruits and vegetables define us, we exist because of them as they keep us nourished and healthy and we must value them as such,” he emphasized.
The seasoned farmer has a few tips to share with upcoming horticulture farmers. “To avoid food waste, try to establish exactly how much produce your customer base requires on either a weekly or monthly basis,” he explained. “This allows you to not produce more than what the market can absorb and ensures a healthy cash flow.”
Hope for the future
Shetuuka says he has hope that in the next five to ten years, things will improve in the agricultural sector not just in Namibia but also globally.
“Many people have come to realise just how critical food security is, especially in the midst of a crisis such as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, because a hungry nation is a weak nation,” he concluded.
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