Rangelands show improvement
Overall, rangelands in Namibia have improved since March in large parts of the country, although plant productivity remains below average in most areas.Ecologist Cornelis van der Waal said this in the 'State of the Namibian Rangeland' report for March.
He noted that areas of above-average greenness were restricted to isolated areas in northern Kunene.
“Plant productivity tends to be normal in isolated areas in the Otjozondjupa, Omusati, Oshikoto, Kavango East and western Zambezi regions,” Van der Waal found.
He said areas far below normal include most of the Erongo and ||Karas regions, western Kunene, parts of the Omaheke, central Hardap and eastern parts of Otjozondjupa and the Zambezi regions.
Van der Waal added that the worst-affected areas are the Erongo and central Hardap regions.
Van der Waal said isolated exceptions include the far north-eastern parts of the Kunene Region and parts of the Otjozondjupa, Omusati, Oshikoto, Kavango East and western Zambezi regions.
He explained that livestock production in Namibia is almost entirely dependent on the productivity of its rangelands, which may plummet to near zero during severe droughts.
“Rainfall variability results in severe management challenges for livestock farmers who need to balance animal forage requirements with the forage produced, as well as preventing land degradation.”
Close monitoring
Van der Waal underlined that a key component of early warning systems is based on freely available remote sensing technology that measures active vegetation growth across Namibia in near real-time.
He said that comparing current vegetation activity patterns with the 10-year average for the same area during the same time of year provides an objective view of the rangeland status.
The recently released Crop Prospects, Food Security and Drought Situation Report by the agricultural ministry indicated that most parts of the country have reported distressed grazing conditions.
This is largely attributed to poor rainfall conditions and dry spells, which have dominated the second half of the 2023–2024 rainfall season.