The Namibian bush biomass sector is a growing sector and has the potential to significantly contribute to the national economy through the establishment and strengthening of both domestic and international value chains and corresponding employment creation. Namibia Biomass Industry Group (N-BiG) through its advisory service DAS carried out farm-level survey in 2019 where about 213…
Agribank and GIZ/MAWF BCBU Project signs new MoU to extend their cooperation in bush control and bush utilisation initiatives
Agribank and the GIZ/MAWF Bush Control and Biomass Utilisation Project signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to extend and strengthen their cooperation and to guide the successful implementation of their agreed activities and projects as well as to inform future strategic interventions. The MoU will be effective until September 2021 with an option for…
Joining Forces to Turn Environmental Challenges into Socio-Economic Benefits
In an effort of intra-GIZ cooperation, the Livelihoods Improvement Project (LIP) in Somalia organised an exchange with the Bush Control and Biomass Utilisation Project (BCBU) in Namibia. The two projects explored how a best practice example of animal fodder production can be replicated in order to achieve tangible socio-economic benefits for rural communities in both…
NUST BUSH Biomass Symposium
The NUST Biomass Utilisation by Sustainable Harvest (BUSH) Project will be hosting a Biomass Symposium. The event will take place under the theme: ‘The Role of Scientific Research in Growing Africa’s Bioeconomy’. Date: 21-22 November 2019 Time: 08:00 Venue: Protea Hotel Fürstenhof Please register and RSVP on the following link by Thursday, 14 November 2019:…
N-BiG Encroacher Bush Business Plan Competition
Do you have a great business idea to add value to Namibia’s encroacher bush? Is your idea innovative? Is your idea scalable, beyond the Namibian border? Are you young, and/or a woman, and/or previously disadvantaged? Then you are the person we are looking for, enter to stand a chance to be one of the top…
NCA Charcoal Field Day
Charcoal makes a significant contribution to Namibia’s economy. The Namibia Charcoal Association (NCA) estimates that the sector is employing close to 10,000 workers this year. At a NCA field day in Okahandja on Wednesday, farmers informed themselves on how to realise the “money in the bush”. Estimates for 2019 are that up to 200,000 tonnes…
Namibia’s participation at 19th Congress of Wood Energy in Germany
Namibia presented itself as a prospective partner country at this year’s Wood Energy Conference in Würzburg, Germany. The congress themed “sustainable solutions for climate protection” is the national get-together of the German “biomass scene”. With 250 entrepreneurial participants it is thus an ideal opportunity for networking and business to business meetings. A dedicated programme on…
DAS at Windhoek Industrial and Agricultural Show
Is your farm bush encroached? Are you lacking enough feed to sustain your livestock especially in the current drought crisis? Do you have harvesting and milling equipment available or could rent such rather cheaply and quickly? Do you want to learn more about sustainable bush control and biomass utilisation? The De-bushing Advisory Service (DAS) is…
Biomass Research in Ovitoto
Researchers under the Biomass Utilisation through Sustainable Harvest (BUSH) project, recently spent a week in the Ovitoto communal area. The aim of the visit was to implement the first phase of the project’s bush encroachment mitigation and technology development strategies. Bush encroachment is one of the key agricultural challenges in Namibia. The most significant consequences…
DAS capacity development project kicks off with 36 trainees in Okahandja
Bush encroachment of farmland in Namibia is a growing reality with an adverse impact on land productivity and grazing capacity. Efforts to reclaim land through bush clearing activities using a variety of chemical, mechanical and biological methods are increasing. Where livestock farmers in general see bush encroachment as a stumbling block to profitable livestock production,…