Value addition of agricultural produce and natural resources is a key component to get more from our products and resources. Value addition entails packaging, processing and better preservation of our products. Value addition enables us to get more from our produce.
Mutengo Farming Nkurenkuru
Approximately, eight (8) Km from Nkurenkuru in Kavango West is a farm that have started to pay attention and to further practice value addition on their agricultural produce. At the farm, fruits and vegetables are grown which itself is a training, a learning process and requiring patience for everybody involved. Mutengo Farming Nkurenkuru, the farm does not operate on a vast amount of land in fact their operation occurs on a very small piece of land. However, little doesn`t always means small. Little can be much, when one choose to magnify the littleness with a unique strategy. As a result, since Mutengo farming cannot compete with farmers producing on a large scale to make a living, they were triggered to change the equation of how they operate by adding value on their produce.
According to Mrs Jenny the head of operation at Mutengo farming Nkurenkuru, they started with training in preserving their crops and adding value to it. In her on words Mrs Jenny said “The preserving is also to prevent losses of your vegetable and fruit crops which is mostly seasonal and by preserving it, you can have it on your table any time of the year, throughout the year”. Mutengo farming recognised that the people in their area are very poor and hence they saw the need for food security. Food preservation is very important in times of plenty to ensure we have healthy food preserved on our shelves and for our families on the table. Mrs Jenny cautioned that, more and more peoples dies from cancer, which to a high extend is because of all the chemicals and preservatives added to foodstuffs, which we consume. As a result, their aim is to preserve food as healthy and natural as possible.
Their aim is to preserve food as healthy and natural as possible
Mrs Jenny have in the past attendant some practical training during workshops held with GIZ , where the trainees are taught how to preserve their produce as well as how to add value to it. These workshops are 100% free for the trainees and is totally organized and sponsored by GIZ. In this emerging industry or market it is very important that we don`t keep the card closer to our self, rather let`s show the card to everyone so that we may all understand. As a result, to pass forth their knowledge and impact more people, Mutengo farming Nkurenkuru trains their local community in all aspects on how to cultivate different fruits and vegetables. At the moment, they are training three (3) men on how to maintain and prune fruit trees as well as the grafting of fruit trees.
Mutengo farming tries to add value on many products as possible as soon as they become available during season. For instance during the dry season , when there is no rain they often practice and teach the drying of cabbage, Mutete, green pepper, all hot type peppers, carrots, strawberries, mangoes, papayas, tomatoes. They do also teach the making of juices to drink; like strawberry, lemon, papaya, passion fruit, ginger beer (non-alcoholic), tomato juice, amarula juice and watermelon juice. All very delicious, healthy and can be bottled and sold. Apart from that, they do also teach how to make jams, marmalades, sauces for instance tomato jam, tomato sauce, tomato relish, tomato puree/paste, tomato spice, strawberry jam, lemon marmalade, amarula jam, beetroot chutney/salad, carrot salad, cabbage atchar, mayonnaise, butternut salad, grilled butternut etc. According to Mrs Jenny, everything edible that can be grown, can also be preserved by bottling it and by doing that we add value to it. Teaching people how to preserve and add value to their crops, means that they can in turn generate an income for themselves.
For anyone willing to put in some time and effort to visit Mutengo farming they will be given the opportunity to freely test the products, for instance juices to drink, jams and bottled salads to test. Mutengo farming often had visitors at their premises that said they don’t eat beetroot at all, however once they test the products it always results in a turning point to these individuals as they will actually start buying some and further keeps on buying the products on a regular basis.
Positive stride
According to Mrs Jenny, her bottled items with her exact recipes was given to a Senior Chef of Johannesburg, he was a Chef for Mr Donald Trump in America for three years and he tested and reviewed all her recipes – his contact details can be given for confirmation, if needed. He had the highest compliments of which she is extremely proud of. Furthermore, some of her products were also sent to Germany and South Africa and came back with a positive feedback and up to this date, she hardly have any negative feedback on her products. You can rest assured, all their products are guaranteed 100% pure natural and consists of healthy organic ingredients. No preservatives, colorants, fillers, additives, artificial flavourings.
Natural and healthy
Mutengo farming; their products are natural, healthy and organic. Mrs Jenny encourages the public to always be on the lookout for the ingredients in the variety of products that they buy and fully watch out for the percentage of each item labelled. Most items are very compromising, filled with colorants and additives and they are not healthy at all. We often feed ourselves and our entire families with these items and often wonder why we get sick and die from cancer. The parable is solved. Mutengo farming, their tomato sauce is made with only the best firm ripe tomatoes, contains no colorants, flavourants, preservatives, additives, not even water, it is 100 % pure. Due to its authenticity, it`s colour is more dull-red, which is natural.
In her own words Mrs Jenny Said: “To produce, preserve and add value – can be done on our own Namibian soil. We’ve got the resources and the knowledge to do it. We have to focus on food security and to keep our money in our own country and by doing that we can grow from strength to strength and we can be seen by other countries, as a reliable and sustainable producer of healthy products. The potential is there for us. We have to believe in ourselves and let no obstacle stand in our way. It is the duty of the older generation like myself, to teach and train the young people to be self-sufficient. Everybody is always more than welcome to contact me for training and advice.”
For further info on their value added products, to order and for training on how to add value on your produce using the organic and natural way, contact them at : +264 81 2137159/ +264 81 863 9991 Email: mutengo.farming@gmail.com or visit their face book page : Mutengo Farming Nkurenkuru