Africa: Novel gardening method promotes urban farming in Namibian capital

According to Antonio Wohler, Community Development Officer at the City of Windhoek, the most disadvantaged members of the city, especially those residing in informal settlements, benefit from the yields of the Aquaponic garden.

Coastweek
Feb 25, 2017

Excerpt:

Karumendu, along with two women and four other men are the pioneers of the aquaponics gardening project.

With lettuce taking root in a shaded net from a stream of water underneath charcoal cones, Karumendu and his team recently harvested the first yield of lettuce from an Aquaponic garden at the school located in Greenwell Matongo, a residential area dominated by shack dwellings.

“Not only have we found employment, but we became passionate about the gardening technique,” said Karumendu, adding that now he is able to produce food to feed the city dwellers, and contribute to the country’s vision for self-sufficiency.

The skills gained were enhanced with a training on urban farming and aquaponic gardening. “We were trained by the Windhoek Municipality and its key stakeholders. Since then, we took it upon ourselves to show fellow city dwellers that gardening in urban areas is workable and prospective,” Karumendu said on Wednesday.

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