Constraints to Production

6.6 Constraints to Production

This study identified shortage of water, incidences of pests and diseases, lack of capital, frequent droughts, lack of information, markets and theft of produce as some of the major constraints hampering the growth and development of horticultural production in Windhoek and Oshakati. Shortage of water was reported by 46% and 51% of all respondents in Windhoek and Oshakati respectively (table 4.15). The implication of this is that many producers would be discouraged from venturing into vegetable and fruit production unless they are assured of a reliable and cheap source of water given the type and scale of production of most of the backyard gardens. The implication here points to the need to identify other means of providing water to the backyard gardens. This could be through the use of water harvesting method, This study identified shortage of water, incidences of pests and diseases, lack of capital, frequent droughts, lack of information, markets and theft of produce as some of the major constraints hampering the growth and development of horticultural production in Windhoek and Oshakati. Shortage of water was reported by 46% and 51% of all respondents in Windhoek and Oshakati respectively (table 4.15). The implication of this is that many producers would be discouraged from venturing into vegetable and fruit production unless they are assured of a reliable and cheap source of water given the type and scale of production of most of the backyard gardens. The implication here points to the need to identify other means of providing water to the backyard gardens. This could be through the use of water harvesting method,

Closely linked with the enterprises identified is the need to investigate the market for local produce. At the moment most of the markets for vegetables and fruits are controlled by South African chains of supermarkets. Moreover there is an apparent psychological preference for imported products by Namibian business people and consumers. A change of this will require an aggressive and systematic campaign to encourage people to consume Namibian grown fresh fruits and vegetables. These should be backed by a well planned stage by stage access into the markets of specific products.

While the process of producing and entering the market is going on, effective scientific research on further identification of production constraints should be embarked on, together with a provision of urban and peri-urban Extension Service. The former is to gather more facts on the science of horticultural production in the environment of Namibia, while the latter is to quickly disseminate the knowledge obtained to the producers. In between scientific research and an effective Extension Service, a comprehensive economic assessment should be made on each vegetable and fruit to determine the cost of production, price trends and the return to the producer at various levels of outputs and seasons so that producers make rational choices on which crop to produce, when to produce it, how to produce it and where to market it so that they can maximize returns to their limited resources.

Capital has been pointed out as a constraint to the production of horticultural produce in Windhoek and Oshakati (Table 4.15). This is because both the producers and the Agribank and some of the commercial banks in the country do not have the market information on returns to various enterprises. There is therefore need to assess the demand for micro loans within each urban and peri-urban areas with a view to provide information on what activities they should go into and the level of micro capital loan required to undertake each enterprise. There should then

be an awareness campaign to disseminate this information through the urban and peri-urban Extension Services as already outlined in the paragraph on marketing above.

Related to the problem of lack of information is the frequency of droughts in the country. Some of the droughts are so severe that ground water sources reduce supplies to very critical levels. If such a situation occurs, it would put urban producers at risk as in most cases the municipalities will react by imposing restrictions to water usage. A knowledge on the frequency of drought would therefore be vital for planning the development of the horticultural sector in urban areas in terms of developing irrigation dams or valley tanks to take care of water shortages during severe drought periods.