Farms in Namibia
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Farms in Namibia were already measured, numbered and entered on a farm map at the time of German South West Africa . Apart from the cities, the Namib , the homelands and state nature reserves , the whole country was divided into farms . The size of the farms is mostly between 3,000 and 30,000 hectares for farms in the arid south of the country, with numerous being subdivided especially since independence in 1990.
In Namibia , the English word farm is always used for an agricultural, large-scale operation, also in German . The words ranch or farm are not used in Namibia .
Products and services
Most of the farms in Namibia are used to raise livestock . In the more humid north, mainly cattle and in the drier south, mainly sheep . Horses are bred on individual farms. Most of the farms also have wildlife . These can be oryx , kudu , springbok , zebras , wild boar and others. Agriculture is only practiced in a few water-rich places in the country . For example, in Mariental below the Hardap dam or at Oranje in Aussenkehr and Norotshama. In addition to the livestock some farmers also produce charcoal (English Charcoal ) for export. According to national regulations, the charcoal is usually made from bush wood, which is in abundance due to the widespread bush cover .
More recently, many ranchers have specialized in alternative sources of income . A large number of Namibian farms are today, mostly parallel to livestock farming, too
There are also a smaller number of predator or cheetah farms, research farms (e.g. Farm Sandveld) and glider farms.
Infrastructure
water
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Many farms in Namibia are dependent on groundwater that is tapped with boreholes and pumps.
- Greg Christelis and
Wilhelm Struckmeier |
- translation
|
The first well drilling machine came into the country in 1903. Since then, the water has mostly been brought to the surface with wind pumps . Today solar water pumps are increasingly used. Wind pumps only deliver water when the wind is blowing, solar pumps only work when the sun is shining. Boreholes for pumping water in southern Namibia can be up to 300 meters deep. The project, funded with the pumps water is collected in basins and from there into plastic pipes underground to the often kilometers away cattle watering promoted and into the homes of farm people. The drinkers are equipped with a float that stops the flow when a certain water level is reached. These swimmers are covered in such a way that the animals cannot damage them. Not only the cattle, but also wild animals drink water from the drinking troughs.
The production of a farm in Namibia largely depends on the annual rainfall . In northern Namibia it rains an average of up to 600 mm and in the south just 150 mm. It almost never rains along the coast of Namibia. The farmers measure the precipitation at several points on the farm mostly with funnel-shaped analog rain gauges . The amount of rain must be recorded at several points on the farm because rain in Namibia very often falls locally, for example in the form of thunderstorms . It is important for the farmer to record the amount of rain because he can use it to estimate the productivity of the farm for the coming months. He may have to sell animals early or he can increase the number of animals.
Power supply
In recent years many farms have been connected to the NamPower network. Other farms have their own generators to generate electricity or, more recently, their own solar systems . To this day, remote farms without electricity have a cold room, or cooler for short, for storing their food and drinks , which is naturally cooled, that is, with water, but without electricity and without gas. The temperature of these rooms can be kept at 13 to 17 degrees Celsius even if the outside temperature is 40 degrees.
Farm phone
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The installation of means of communication to the farms has always been a challenge due to the great distances in Namibia. Until well into the 21st century, many farms in Namibia were without communication or were connected by a farm telephone line. The farm telephone ( English farm party line ) is a two-wire telephone line stretched over wooden poles that connects a chain of farms. The line ended at a manually operated switchboard that could transfer external calls. The farms were equipped with a crank phone. If you turned the crank for a short or long time, it rang short or long on all connected farms. Each farm and the connected switchboard was assigned a number and a call sign consisting of a combination of short and long ringing sequences for clear identification. One advantage of the farm telephone was that the farm people on the connected farms could call each other without the assistance of the operator. A disadvantage was that the conversation between two farmers could be overheard on any other connection. Namibia's first farm lines were put into operation between Gibeon and Maltahöhe in 1909. The telephones installed at that time came from the Beeston National Telephone Company in England .
The farms north of Leonardville along the Nossob , for example, were connected to farm management number 15. The manual switchboard at the Leonardville post office was manned 24 hours. Farm Geikous, 12 kilometers north of Leonardville, was number 1503 and the assigned call sign consisted of three long ring sequences. Farm Komana eleven kilometers west of Farm Geikous had the number 1531 and the corresponding callsign was "3x short 1x long". If you wanted to reach the switchboard in Leonordville, you picked up the receiver and listened to see if there was a conversation going on. When the line was free you rang "1x long".
The farm phones have been decommissioned since the mid-1990s. Today, many farms are on the cellular network and very few over fiber optic cable (or by microwave English Rural Radio Telephone Links ) developed. However, even today (as of 2020), the large distances make communication to the remote farms expensive. Telecom Namibia has therefore dismantled almost all rural connections since the early 2000s and replaced them with a satellite solution.
Some farms have set up a private radio network that allows communication between the farmhouse and the farm vehicles. These radio devices can also be used to reach neighboring farms that have the same radio system. Most radios work in the VHF range. The farmers receive a radio license issued by the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) for an annual fee . Many farms have three frequencies. A frequency for communication within the farm, a regionally divided club channel on which neighboring farms can be called up and, lastly, an emergency channel that is used, for example, in the event of a bush fire or other emergency situations.
Farm operation
Farmpad and Farmkamp
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In Namibia, the terms “Farmpad” ( Afrikaans for farm road) and “Farm kamp ” are mostly used instead of “Feldweg” and “Weide” in German.
On farms is (English between cattle fences Stock fences ), game fences (English Game fences ) and electric fences (English Electric fences ) and Secure Jackal fences (English Jackal-proof fence ) distinguished. These fences have different functions. They differ in design, robustness, fence height and mesh size. Wild fences are more than twice as high as cattle fences, because kudus , for example, can easily jump over a cattle fence.
The fences must be maintained permanently by the farmer. The farm fences along the border with Botswana have a special function . You are not only a farm fence here, but also a veterinary fence .
Cattle farms are divided into farm camps with fences. This is intended to ensure that the grasses and bushes are only specifically eaten away and overgrazing is prevented. The size of the camps is very different. There are artificially created water points to catch the rain and a drinking trough ( kraal ) is set up at corners where several camps collide . There are also salt licks to supply the animals with salt. The kamps often separate the cows and calves for a certain period of time so that the farmer has enough milk available. In the kraal or the manga, the young animals, divided into heifers and oxen, are burned for identification and small cattle are set up at night for protection. Every farmer has his own brand . The dipping (through a trough running) of cattle for disinfecting various diseases also takes place when Kraal.
Were the beginning of the 20th century only bullock carts , horse carts or donkey carts (English Donkey Cart ) in use. The donkey carts are still a daily means of transport in many places. These are also commonly called “Kalahari Ferrari”. In the meantime, off-road vehicles have largely replaced the means of transport mentioned above.
autonomy
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The farms in Namibia are often very remote, sometimes hundreds of kilometers from the nearest center. Therefore, the farmers are dependent on the greatest possible autonomy . Most of the farms have a small vegetable garden , they have their own well, and many produce their own electricity. The farmers have the right to hunt on their own ground for self-sufficiency. The profession of the farmer is very broad due to the required autonomy. Most farmers have studied agriculture and are also electricians , locksmiths , joiners , mechanics , bricklayers and butchers . Some farmers tan the hides of the hunted animals themselves. Farmers do jobs where a veterinarian would be called elsewhere , and on Sundays many farmers take on the role of priest and read the Bible to the family and employees . Almost every farmer has a welding machine and his own scrap heap in order to be able to fall back on spare parts and other metal objects.
Many remote farms operate a local shop where they resell groceries and items for everyday use at retail prices to employees who rarely come to town. Some farmers do homeschooling .
Predators
The predators on Namibian farms are the jackal , leopard , cheetah and, in the south, along the border with the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, also lions .
Jackals are nocturnal. They are especially a problem for sheep farmers, because they often not only eat one lamb , but also a whole row of lambs. The farmers set traps and they hire specialized jackal hunters to hunt the animals at night. In some cases, they use public address systems that send out decoy calls.
Cheetahs are caught alive in trapdoor cages. The captured animals are often released elsewhere through the Cheetah Conservation Fund .
Land reform
In Namibia, land reform has been carried out since independence in 1990 according to the principle of willing sellers, willing buyers . A realignment has been planned since the 2nd National Land Conference at the end of 2018.
Types of farms
Livestock
Meat production is an important economic sector in Namibia . The animals are traded at large cattle or sheep auctions. The Meat Corporation of Namibia is the largest meat processing and exporting company in the country. Mainly cattle, sheep and pigs are processed. The cattle often have branding and more recently are ear tags for cattle mandatory, so that the meat can be traced back as it goes from the consumer to the producer.
Gang-like cattle theft is becoming a growing problem in Namibia.
Vegetables and cereals
On some farms in Namibia, especially in the northeast ( Maisdreieck ) and the east, vegetables and / or grain are grown - mostly in addition to cattle breeding.
Guest farms
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Guest farms are farms that offer accommodation and food for individual tourists and are not oriented towards mass tourism. The guests are driven through the farm on so-called game drives to watch the game. A guest farm can also be a hunting farm , an astro farm , cattle breeding farm or a wild animal farm .
Hunting farms
Hunting farms enable hunters , mostly trophy hunters , to hunt on many square kilometers of private property or serve as a base for hunting trips. Sometimes hunting farms with guest farms or a lodge are operated in parallel on the same farmland .
Game farms
A game ranch ( English Game Ranch / Farm or Wildlife Ranch / Farm ) is a farm for breeding wild animals. In recent times they have been combined more often with a guest establishment, e.g. B. a lodge . In the broadest sense, ostrich farming is also to be counted among game farms .
Astro farms
Astro farms are mostly in remote locations where amateur astronomers can perform astrophotography . The astro farms have the necessary infrastructure. These are permanently installed telescopes, foundations for the guests' private telescopes with the appropriate power supply, wind protection devices and internet connection. The astronomical farms offer the astronomers accommodation and meals adapted to the work rhythm. Astro farms can also be viewed as guest farms with specific customers. Astro farms are usually well attended in the two weeks between full moon phases.
Criteria for the location of an astro farm are:
- As little stray light as possible.
- The sky is as cloudless as possible
- Air that is as dry as possible
- Cool air as possible (low thermals )
- Place as high as possible
- Good accessibility
These criteria are met at many high-altitude locations in Namibia . Namibia has a very arid climate and the country is, apart from the coastal strip, at an altitude of 1500 to 2000 meters. Famous astronomical farms in Namibia include Kiripotib , Tivoli, Hakos, Otjikaru and Rooisand. The high season for astrophotography in Namibia is the winter months of June and July. During these months the air is particularly dry and cool and, moreover, during these months the night side of the earth faces the center of the Milky Way . In addition, many European amateur astronomers have their summer vacation during these months, which enables them to visit the astronomical farms at the ideal time. The astro farms in Namibia are located at 22 ° to 28 ° south latitude . This allows a part of the starry sky that is not visible from Europe to be photographed and explored.
Most astronomical farms also breed cattle in parallel to astronomy. Non-astronomers are also welcome guests on astronomical farms. They have the opportunity to find out interesting facts about the starry sky in conversation with the astronomers.
Glider farms
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At the moment (2020) there are two glider farms in Namibia. These are the airfield on Farm Bitterwasser and the glider airfield Kiripotib . Many sailing records have been set on these sailing farms. In the summer months, there are brisk thermals in Namibia , which the sail pilots use to achieve new records. Sailors from all over the world bring their aircraft to Namibia in containers for the summer months.
Braai competition
Since the beginning of the 1990s , a braai competition organized by the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU-NLU) has been held annually in Namibia . This was initially known as the Inter Farmers' Association Braai Competition . The competition has a different theme every year.
See also
literature
- John M. Mendelsohn: Farming Systems in Namibia , Research & Information Services of Namibia, 2006. ( available online )
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Farm map on the Internet. Retrieved March 14, 2019
- ↑ Namibia: Agriculture in Namibia Retrieved March 14, 2019
- ↑ Example of a horse breeding farm
- ↑ Jumbo Charcoal.Retrieved March 24, 2019
- ↑ Johannes Zahnen: Market analysis barbecue charcoal 2018 - The dirty business with barbecue charcoal. Ed .: WWF Germany. June 2018, p. 39 ( wwf.de [PDF]).
- ↑ Namibia's cheetah farms
- ↑ Sandveld Research Farm, Sandveld Research Station , accessed April 22, 2019
- ↑ Coordinates of the Dabis farm: 25 ° 46'20 "S 016 ° 48'15" E
- ↑ a b c d Groundwater in Namibia , Greg Christelis and Wilhelm Struckmeier, Windhoek: Dep. of Water Affairs, Geohydrology Division, Second edition 2011, ISBN 0-86976-571-X
- ↑ Climate table North Namibia
- ↑ Climate table South Namibia
- ↑ Farm Eskadron is located 15 kilometers northwest of Witvlei at 22 ° 16'12 "S 018 ° 27'40" E
- ↑ a b English paper: NAMIBIA'S TELECOMMUNICATIONS by Klaus Dierks Ph.D. Retrieved March 16, 2019
- ^ Exploring Beeston's History: Industry in Beeston - Telecommunications
-
↑ Farm Geikous has the coordinates: 23 ° 24'33 "S 018 ° 44'29" E
- ↑ Farm Komana has the coordinates: 23 ° 25'32 "S 018 ° 38'09" E
- ↑ Telecom Namibia: "Continued expansion of fiber coverage throughout the country"
- ↑ Telecom Namibia: Rural Radio Telephone Links
- ↑ CRAN website
- ↑ Volker Guthörl: Game keeping as a sustainable form of land use in southern Africa. ISBN ISBN 3-00-016849-4 , p. 56.
- ↑ Stories from the world: With the Kalahari Ferrari through the desert. Accessed on March 17, 2019
- ^ Namibian: Home Schooling
- ↑ Duke Hunting
- ↑ Jagdland Namibia
- ↑ Cattle auctions in Namibia
- ↑ Namibiana: Cattle Theft.Retrieved March 14, 2019
- ^ Ministry of Trade and Industry (ed.): The Investor. 1992, issue 1.
- ^ John M. Mendelsohn: Farming Systems in Namibia. Research & Information Services of Namibia, 2006.
- ↑ Wildlife ranching in South Africa. Africa Geographic, October 22, 2015.
- ↑ website of Astro Farm Kiripotib Accessed on February 9, 2019
- ↑ website of Astro Farm Tivoli Accessed on February 9, 2019
- ↑ Website of the Astofarm Hakos. Accessed on February 9, 2019
- ↑ website of the observatory Otjikaru Otjikaru. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ↑ Website of the Astrofarm Rooisand.Accessed on January 22, 2020
- ↑ Kiripotib: Gliding Accessed March 14, 2019
- ↑ Kiripotib: The successes of our pilots
- ↑ MEATCO National BraaiI Becomes NAU'S National Event. Meatco, February 19, 2015.