Between June 2020 and June 2021, twenty-five unemployed and underemployed residents of the Uitkoms community in the Otjozondjupa Region took part in a 'Foundations for Farming Training and Mentorship Programme'. An Adonai Trust and Bank Windhoek initiative, the Programme empowered Uitkoms residents with appropriate small-scale innovative farming techniques, using limited land and water resources. It also exposed them to self-sustainable training methods to generate income from their produce.
The Programme's training manual used Zimbabwe's 'Pfumvudza' concept. It is a crop production intensification approach under which farmers ensure the efficient use of resources, such as inputs and labour, on a small area of land to optimise its management. Participants were exposed to the Foundation for Farming Training courses, including financial literacy, monthly mentorship visits, and planting at the Uitkoms resettlement farm.
“The project's long-term vision is to equip Uitkoms' residents towards becoming self-sustainable," said the Project's Coordinator, Monica Barnard. “We are pleased with the trainees, their dedication, and the harvest that they have received this year," she said.
Uitkoms' Chief, Katae August, who participated in the 2019 and 2020/21 Programme, said: "I started to practice the same method in my field. The harvest has been worthy compared to the traditional method; maize sizes are bigger and healthier, and the harvest is also more." The participants at the resettlement farm harvested 16 000 cobs, while Chief August's homestead reaped 1 156 cobs.
Bank Windhoek's Head of Corporate Social Investment, Sponsorship, and Events, Bronwyn Moody said the Bank would continue investing in communities where it operates; as a connector of positive change. "We encourage the participants to practice what they have learnt to sustain the community," she said.
Since its inception in 2006, Adonai Trust has impacted and positively changed the lives of thousands of people through its programmes and courses. The Trust caters to individuals and organisations and is passionate about seeing people transformed into productive and responsible citizens, contributing to the country's welfare.
