Nambia: Zambezi farmers demand more compensation for crop damage

Published 2023년 3월 30일

Tridge summary

Small-scale farmers in Namibia's Zambezi region are demanding fair compensation for crops lost to wildlife, arguing that the current reimbursement of N$1 000 per hectare from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism is inadequate. They point out that the compensation does not cover their total losses and highlight issues with delayed payments. The Ministry is conducting a three-month operation to address human-wildlife conflict, which has seen an increase in crop damage, primarily from elephants and hippos. Farmers are being advised to implement mitigation measures such as fencing and living on their lands to prevent crop damage. However, unanswered questions about the compensation policy underscore the confusion and dissatisfaction among farmers with the current approach.

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Original content

SMALL-SCALE crop farmers in the Zambezi region say the government should compensate them with the actual value of crops destroyed by wildlife. Human-wildlife conflict within the region has been of great concern for the already poor farmers, who end up losing thousands of dollars of what they spend on production annually. The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism reimburses farmers whose crops are damaged by wildlife with N$1 000 per hectare. Lister Lutiyo, who farms at Nongozi village in the Sangwali area yesterday told The Namibian about 4,5ha of his maize and watermelon fields were destroyed by elephants on Tuesday.He said he was planning to harvest this coming weekend. “I spent about N$14 800 on ploughing and field preparation. However, now I won't be able to get the money invested in my crop fields. “The government will now only pay me about N$4 000, which is not even close to covering my losses. “I strongly believe the government should increase the compensation ...

Source: Namibian