Namibian orchard employs four staff and more than 20 contractors
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on New Era
Illustrative image · M1DDL3 M7N · Pexels · Licence PexelsJ&H Orchard employs four permanent staff and more than 20 contractors in Omunyekadi, in Namibia’s Ohangwena region. Founded in 2020 by Jeremiah Kandume, the farm produces several fruits and contributes to rural employment and food security, according to New Era.
J&H Orchard, a fruit farm established in 2020 by Namibian entrepreneur Jeremiah Kandume, employs four permanent staff and more than 20 contractors in Omunyekadi, in the Ondobe constituency, Ohangwena region. The orchard has more than 2,000 trees on seven hectares and provides jobs to young people from the village, reports New Era.
The farm produces papayas, mangoes, guavas, passion fruit, custard apples and citrus fruits, among others. It also has a nursery that produces and sells seedlings. Kandume, who started the business after losing his job in tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic, says he wanted to create income and jobs in his village rather than force residents to leave to look for work elsewhere.
Water is a major constraint during dry periods. J&H Orchard collects rainwater in tanks and uses NamWater supplies when its reserves run out. The farm also uses a drip irrigation system from containers to limit water consumption.
The company trains young workers in planting, watering, weeding and caring for trees and seedlings. It has also donated more than 1,500 seedlings to nearby schools, including Ondobe Secondary School, and shares agricultural knowledge with teachers and pupils, according to New Era.
