By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Erastus
The Perivoli Rangeland Institute (PRI) opened its base in Otjiwarongo last week with the aim of pioneering a rangeland restoration programme, clearing encroaching bush, regenerating degraded lands, and improving agricultural yields.
The Institute announced this in their press release.
The not-for-profit organisation was founded by the UK-based charity, the Perivoli Foundation, and is headed by Michael Degé as the chief executive officer, who was previously the head of the Charcoal Association of Namibia.
According to the institute, their programme will train smallholders and farmers, and selectively clear aggressive vegetation from their land.
It aims to use kilns to burn the bush and treat it to create biochar, which will be added to the soil to improve fertility, increase water retention, promote microbial activity, and boost agricultural output.
Biochar is a fixed carbon that is returned to the earth.
The Institute indicated that their biochar creation process is approved and certified, and they will also sell carbon credits generated by the work.
“All profits are returned to the farmers, creating jobs and earning income from international companies for Namibian smallholders and farmers,” the press release read.
At the opening of the new PRI offices on July 24, it was also announced that the first trial would begin on the communal lands at Omatanga in the Okakarara district, 114 km from Otjiwarongo.
James Alexandroff OBE, the founder of the Perivoli Foundation, who was also present at the event, said the Institute is strategically based in Otjiwarongo, with access to some of the most encroached bush-impacted rangelands in southwestern Africa.
Speaking to the interest shown by small and large-scale farmers in the programme, Alexandroff added: “it gives us confidence that we can set about restoring the lands and improving livelihoods, as well as redirecting some of the global wealth to Namibia”.
Degé further indicated that mostly farmers clear rangeland of unwanted bush and then make charcoal.
He said in many cases, charcoal production leads to a negative impact on the environment, as farmers do not perform the necessary aftercare, which leads to accelerated encroachment and deteriorates rangeland even more.
Transporting charcoal abroad also leaves a significant carbon footprint.
Degé stated that, “To produce biochar is so much better, with higher incomes, excellent environmental outcomes, and long-term agricultural gains”.
He explained that cleared rangeland means opportunities to keep livestock, while enriched soils mean greater growing conditions and increased outputs.
It is estimated that over 45 million hectares of Namibian land is affected by bush encroachment.
This has been regarded as an environmental challenge in the past. However, innovators have turned it into an opportunity by harvesting and utilising this overgrown bush to produce charcoal, wood chips, and biochar.
In turn, restoring rangeland health, improving biodiversity, and unlocking a new economic sector – biomass.
The biomass industry plays a key role in this transformation—fueling renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and rural job creation. erastus@thevillager.com.na
