Farmers can prepare for rain 0 The early warning bulletin of the SADC region for the 2016/ 2017 rainy season urges farmers to make use of the available information to maximise production. The bulletin was released yesterday by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry.
Many countries in the region are experiencing a devastating drought associated with the 2015/16 El Nino event.
It is predicted that the 2016/17 outlook will be the opposite, with most parts of the SADC region expected to receive normal to above-normal rainfall.
Northern Namibia can expect normal to above-normal rainfall from October to December, while the southern parts can expect normal to below-normal rainfall during that period.
From December to February the entire country can expect normal to above-normal rainfall.
According to the report the 2016/17 rainfall outlook represents a good opportunity for the agriculture sector to maximise agricultural production. This is particularly the case for areas that normally receive good rainfall.
Crop farmers can utilise the forecast by committing a larger portion of their cropland to medium- to late-maturing, high-performance varieties.
However the report urges that some percentage of cropland should be planted with early-maturing and drought-tolerant crops and varieties in case the expected good rains do not materialise.
Crop diversification, especially planting of some drought-tolerant crops in relevant areas, as well as nutrition-rich crops, is encouraged.
Water reservoirs should be rehabilitated in order to improve and maximise irrigation farming.
Likewise, use of harvesting technologies should be intensified in order to fully utilise the rains and guard against negative impacts of dry spells, which can still occur even in a normal to above-normal rainy season.