What is the purpose of property rights?
Two types of property rights govern the land on which most Namibian families live: customary land rights and freehold rights. Customary land rights confirm traditional and/or historical entitlements to occupy the land which occupants may use for residential and crop growing purposes. Commercial uses are not allowed, and the land rights may not be sold. […]
What is the purpose of livestock in Namibia?
It is established fact, indeed dogma, that Namibian livestock are used to produce meat, as well as some milk, skins, eggs, draught power and manure. The animals are farmed for production. They or their products are harvested regularly and sold to earn revenue. This is generally thought to be the true function of all livestock. […]
Capital or revenue: the use of land by wealthy, urban livestock owners
There has been a major change in the distribution and purpose of most Namibian cattle over the last 20 years. Previously, the majority of cattle were on so-called commercial freehold farms where they were used largely to produce beef. Nowadays, most Namibian cattle are in areas we call communal where they are used mainly as […]
Most Namibian families can not own land!
Sixty-four percent or two out of three Namibian families can not own the land on which they live. The figure of 64% is based on data collected during the 2016 Inter-Censal Demographic Survey and 2011 Population & Housing Census. Thirty-eight percent of these families live in communal areas where the law forbids the ownership of […]
Crop farming on communal land: maximising production or minimising risk?
A fascinating thing about most livestock in communal areas is that they are not used for production, contrary to what western society expects (see the essay published in this column on 13 June). What about crops? What rules do crop farmers follow in communal areas? Agronomists generally assume that farmers seek to maximise production, which […]
The Business of Land Grabbing
Namibia has been complaining about land grabbing and illegal fencing ever since independence 28 years ago. There has been lots of talking, but nothing really has been done to solve the problem. This is not surprising because those who grabbed and fenced are mainly Namibia’s elites, a point made clear by Theodor Muduva in his […]
Upward pressure expected to remain as inflation continues to rise – New Era
WINDHOEK – Continuous upward pressure is expected on inflation, mostly owing to the rising fuel prices, the most recent of which was a 25 cents per litre increase in August, attributed to the adjustment of the fuel tax in August. Although international oil prices have eased slightly, the prevailing sentiment is that the depreciation of […]
Balanced policies needed to improve Namibia’s rating – New Era
WINDHOEK – Namibia needs smart policies that balance the need to address the major social challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment, coupled with having to remain attractive to domestic and foreign investors, analysts and economists said this week. Such policies require a continuation of the close cooperation between the public and private sectors, which if […]
Latest Fitch rating a confirmation for continued consolidation – New Era
WINDHOEK – The latest assessment of the Namibian economy by international ratings agency, Fitch Ratings, on Monday affirmed a sub-investment grade rating of BB+ with a stable outlook. Local economists believe that this assessment is a confirmation for continued fiscal consolidation efforts, which have thus far been slow as government struggles to balance consolidation with […]
Namibia’s junk status remains – The Namibian
THERE is doubt that Namibia would regain a positive investment grading, following Fitch Ratings maintaining the country’s rating at junk status. Analysts said this is because the economy is still faced with hardships, from both the domestic and global front. In November last year, the ratings agency downgraded the country’s credit rating from BBB- to […]