Northern Regions Livestock Development Project

Northern Regions Livestock Development Project

The project area is semi-arid and prone to drought. Water sources are in short supply. In Ovambo and Kavango alone, about 3.9 million ha of grazing lands lie unused because of a lack of water. Most farming households rely on livestock where possible, but also grow cereals such as millet and maize. Erratic rainfall heavily conditions crop yields. As livestock numbers increase, rangeland productivity is deteriorating at the rate of 1 per cent per year. Areas that are grazed tend to be overstocked, with the result that the natural grass and vegetation cover is deteriorating steadily.

Poverty is widespread in the area. About 95 per cent of the population are poor and do not have food security. The most vulnerable groups are households headed by women, previously displaced people who have returned to the area, households cultivating small plots of land, and those without cattle or without a regular off-farm income.

The overall objective of the project was to improve the economic and social well-being of the rural population of the northern communal areas. Project activities included:

• increasing livestock production, productivity and off-take
• tackling problems of overgrazing and land degradation
• building and supporting community-based organizations
• improving animal health services and livestock support services
• developing a sustainable range management system with more equitable distribution of assets and resources
• training farmers to adopt environmentally sound range management practices and control stocking rates
• strengthening the institutional and policy framework for the sustainable development of the north communal areas

Source: IFAD