The final episode in this series focused on the value of livestock, why farmers value their livestock herd as an investment and why such farmers are not quick to adapt to smart agricultural practices.
One of the reasons is that, as ASSAR found, many farmers in northern Namibia have deep-seated religious beliefs and see symbolic significance in their traditional ways of doing things. Rather than seeing this as a barrier to adaptation, it can been seen as an opportunity to promote climate smart agriculture. By working with religious and traditional value systems, extension workers could promote climate-smart practices in a way that helps reduce the impacts of climate variability and change for farmers. Agricultural extension officers and development workers in Southern Africa need to work with traditional and religious leaders to harness cultural attitudes about livestock ownership, and help farming families become more resilient in the face of a warming, drying climate.
The full news story can be read here.
The DRFN wishes to thank our esteemed stakeholders from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as well as the Office of the Prime Minister's Directorate of Disaster Risk Management, for the continued support towards this programme.
Recordings of the climate change radio series are available on request from the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia.