On Tuesday, the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia joined the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), the parliament of the Republic of Namibia, Embassy of Finland, and Think Namibia Aquaponics at the HSF Aquaponics Project and first pilot aquaponics system at Aris Primary School, which is located approximately 20 km from Windhoek.
The pilot project initiative was launched in Windhoek with funding from the Embassy of Finland. The aquaponics project aims to support improving local knowledge, training skills, and human capacity development in the field of climate-resilient aquaponics with the overall objective of promoting food security and creating new livelihood opportunities in Namibia's rural communities.
Speaking at the launch of the pilot project, Clemens von Doderer, the Hanns Seidel Foundation’s resident representative, highlighted that the aquaponics project is aimed at contributing to food security in Namibia using aquaponics systems in a pilot approach project. “Aquaponics presents a climate-smart agriculture alternative practice that has the potential to enhance agricultural production, boost food security and improve living standards in rural Namibia”, he noted.
Hannele Hupanen from the Finnish Embassy touched on the long history that the people of Finland have with conservation and forestry, hence finding alternative ways of agriculture that assist rural communities who grapple with high unemployment. In addition, she said the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 had imposed new hardships, and it’s hoped that the inauguration of this aquaponics project will pave the way to achieving food self-sufficiency and economic sustainability of the people of Aris, and more specifically the Aris Primary School.
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