Author Archives: DAS

Towards Sustainable Charcoal Production through Certification

How a Generational Farmer is Advancing His Family Farm using Quality Environmental and Social Practices ~ Mbati Tjiho is a generational farmer who traded in his twenty-five-year office job to explore his passion for farming in 2017. Farm Winnie, which was a predominant livestock production farm, is found close to the town of Outjo, in […]

Equal Employment Opportunities for Women

How the Charcoal Industry is creating Equality in Namibia ~ While legal equality hasn’t fully translated into economic independence and self-sufficiency for women globally, there are many sectors that are seeing huge growth in women’s empowerment. In sub-Saharan Africa, the charcoal sector has seen a boom in recent years and is providing an opportunity for […]

The Business Opportunity in Bush Biomass

SME Success Proves the Business Opportunity in Responsible Bush Control ~ Philipus Alugodhi, based in Otavi, is proving his entrepreneurial prowess through his charcoal business, which he has grown in a short space of time to be a choice employer for charcoal workers. Philipus has worked as a police officer, a diamond inspector, a geological […]

The Return of Functioning Ecosystems Through Rewilding

A mine’s vision on the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems in central Namibia ~ “For us, bush thinning is very important to get this area back to a functional ecosystem. The main reason we want to make it functional, is to ensure that wildlife have sufficient space and grazing. We inherited a system that wasn’t functional, […]

Building Biodiversity Through Soil Rejuvenation

How Richer Microbial Activity and Soil Diversity Returns after Bush Thinning ~ “Data has shown that if you restore your habitat you will increase grazing capacity, that will also translate to more economic benefits because you are able to increase your wildlife or cattle carrying capacity. But there are also other benefits, like your water […]

Tourism, Conservation and Sustainable Bush Thinning Strategies

How Wisdom is Creating Benefits for Tourism and Conservation Strategies ~ Founded in 1991, the AfriCat Foundation is based on the Okonjima Nature Reserve in Otjozondjupa region. The foundation conducts ecological research focusing on rare and endangered species. Over the years, this nature reserve has been practicing bush thinning for conservation and tourism and has […]

Holistic Rangeland Management for Better Grazing

Holistic rangeland management in combination with bush thinning can lead to productivity for cattle farming. When Hendrik began addressing bush en­croachment in 1996, his farm could only stock 670 head of cattle, whereas now that same farm can carry 1400 head of cattle, and as Hendrik explains, “more cattle means higher profit margins.” Using a combination […]