Land and Organic Farms. Woo.

Authors: Molly, Katelyn, and Katie
Week 14

On Friday, April 22^nd, a group of us visited an organic farm called GreenSpot in Okahandja to celebrate Earth Day! We were welcomed by Manjo Smith, the woman who owns the farm, along with her family and were given a tour of the land. Not only was this a fitting tribute to respecting our Earth, but it was also an educational opportunity to learn about an alternative to large scale Namibian farming. It was a great contrast to the government owned Etunda Irrigation, which we had seen earlier in the semester.

As we sat at a table sipping glasses of water on her back porch, she told us how many challenges came up against her and her family as they labored to build this farm. She researched extensively before starting this farm, but the biggest problem was that all of the best books and resources were aimed for either small, individual organic farms or for farms in the United States or Europe, neither of which apply to her. As a result, she had to do a lot of learning on her own and adapt western practices for the sandy, dry Namibia soil and climate. This is because organic farming has yet to form a strong foundation in southern Africa and especially in Namibia.

(Photo: Several CGE students learning how every part of the farm is interconnected and used)

According to Mrs. Smith, the key to growing the organic industry is consumer demand. It was interesting to hear about Mrs. Smith’s opinions as to why organics have yet to take hold here as well as think about some of our own. Obviously consumer demand is lacking, but why? One reason is because traditional farming is so ingrained in the culture as habit. People do what they know brings success and food, so it is hard to convince them to do otherwise when their livelihood is at stake. Plus, organic farming requires a decent amount of time invested in education of methods, and local farmers don’t necessarily have the time or money to spend away from their farm. It could also be, as we have been discovering during our time here, many people are just concerned about eating to be full and not necessarily about eating to be healthy. In Smith’s perspective, the vast majority of the Namibian population is not aware of how their food is grown or what is good or bad for them. They are more focused on what is cheap and filling for their family. Maybe better education on what these large scale farmers are doing in order to grow large amounts of food fast and what is healthy for their bodies would help bring about more people to be open to the idea of organic farming.

People need to know how organic and regular farming compare and then be given the ability to decide for themselves what they think is best. We have learned over the semester how many people just come in and tell people here what to do without really explaining what they are trying to accomplish or even finding out if that is what the people want to do. Yes, we can educate the people but now the question arises, in a country where the majority of the population is at or below the poverty line, do people have the means to start an organic garden or even buy the crops? Smith stated that most of her customers are white, German-descendent Namibians. Is this because they have been educated about the risks of using pesticides and anything else related to large scale farming or is it just that they can afford the better quality, but more expensive organic crops? While we wish that the food here was able to go into the hands of the majority of Namibians, we were relieved that the products produced from GreenSpot were at least sold inside of Namibia. Most of the produce, even from the Etunda Irrigation project, is actually sold to South Africa where the vast majority of grocery stores are based, and then sold back to the people of Namibia.

Another question that arose both at the farm and throughout our other studies here is what can we do if people are educated but simply do not care to change their ways? Organic farming has trouble translating into the rest of Namibian society, and Mrs. Smith said that even though her Namibian workers know how to farm organically, they do not take it back to their communities. What she mentioned that was even more interesting was that often time old customs and practices, which may not be as practical anymore, stick around families as long as the father, the traditional head of the household, is alive. This means that if a family might want to change some of the practices around their farm but the father does not, they must wait until the father has passed away to do so. How possible is it to get people to change their ways without forcing them to? What amount of education about the issues will change minds? This question has really been on our minds this last week especially in terms of development. Unfortunately it is not one that we have been able to articulate a firm answer to. So while our formal education here has come to an end, we are left with more questions to continue our learning.

Manjo Smith took us on a tour of her organic farm, Greenspot.

The Racial Gap in the Namibian Healthcare System

Authors: Audrey Eisemann, Laura Overton and Tamara Siburg
Week 13

While Apartheid ended 21 years ago, as has been portrayed in many of these blog posts, the effects of Apartheid continue to be prevalent in Namibian society today. Those in Namibia who are black and coloured in general have fewer privileges and more obstacles than white Namibians. These privileges are highly due to the advantages gained by white Namibians through having generations of wealth in their families that many black and coloured Namibians do not have. While this is not true for 100% of the cases, it is true for enough to be an indicator of significant disadvantage.

This issue is no different when it comes to healthcare system. Those who are more wealthy have the privilege to have access to medical aid which enables them to utilize the private hospitals, while those with less privilege and who cannot afford medical aid must rely on under-funded, under-staffed, state hospitals. Since lack of wealth is one of the obstacles that many black and coloured people have to overcome in Namibia, many are forced to rely upon government run hospitals, and do not have access to the more technologically advanced and thorough healthcare at private hospitals.

This past week we visited a private hospital, Roman Catholic Hospital, and a government hospital, Katutura State Hospital. The differences in treatment due to funding and staff were blaringly obvious from the infrastructure, the equipment and the queues.

Roman Catholic Hospital is a privately-owned hospital nestled in the center of Windhoek. Their brochure states: “Our mission is to provide a Christian based quality nursing care service. We endeavor to provide compassionate health care for those suffering from illness and to help them find psychological and spiritual stability and peace” (Roman Catholic Hospital).They have a full staff of nurses and doctors with nurses there twenty four hours a day, and at least one doctor who is on duty at all times in the casualty department. Like in private hospitals in the United States, patients can be turned away. If patients do not have adequate medical aid, which is our version of health insurance, they will not be treated at the hospital. To be admitted to the Roman Catholic Hospital, a deposit covering the estimated cost of the procedure, service or operation is required. Throughout the semester we have learned about the inequality among races within Namibia that is left over from Apartheid. We have been taught that Namibia has the highest rate of inequality in the world. By charging such a high admission to be admitted to a private hospital, the segregation between different races within Namibia is perpetuated.

Katutura State Hospital is a state-run hospital. The government provides it with all of its funds. While at the hospital we noticed how impersonal the feeling of being in there was compared to the private Roman Catholic Hospital or even to state owned hospitals back home in the United States. One of the sisters that were showing us around at the Roman Catholic Hospital even told us that the state hospital is set up more like a business then a caring family. Due to socioeconomic inequalities, the lower class can only afford to go to the Katutura State Hospital. The most expensive price that on anything the hospital offers to its patients is 30 Namibian dollars. Staying overnight 1 night or even 3 weeks will both only cost a person 30 Namibian dollars. But if a patient needs to be in the hospital for a (photo: Outside of Katutura State Hospital) few days that means the more money they lose for missing work. When we asked why the hospital was so under staffed because they did not have the funds to pay the doctors and nurses a salary comparable to that of the private hospital. It is good for the patients without a lot of money needing care to come to the hospital because cheap prices, yet if the hospital can’t keep the doctors and nurses then one would have to ask what quality of care do the patients receive at the state hospital and how time efficient for the patient would it be.