Namibia is situated along the Tropic of the Capricorn, between 18 º and 29 º   South. It covers an area of about 850 000 km². 70 % of Namibia’s total population of about 1,7 million people is living in a belt of ± 200 km South of the border to Angola. This area is also referred to as the Northern Communal Areas (NCA’s), which also form the only area suitable for dryland cropping, mainly as subsistence farming. The so-called maize triangle is situated south of that area and is used by commercial farmers. The major part of the cropping areas belong to the Kalahari Basin and the dominant soil type is referred to as Cambic Arenosols. A strip of Orthic Solonetz follows in the Western part (North Central Region), indicating the Cuvelai floodwater system. Rainfall is highest in the far North East, with an average of around 700 mm/year and declines towards the South and West. Dependable growing periods reduce from above 120 days in the North East, to a 61 to 90 days’ growing period with a very short dependable growing period in the marginal farming areas of the North West.

Precise data on the cropped area in the NCA’s are not available and vary, due to the rainy season (more area cropped in good seasons), and because of shifting cultivation, which is still practiced in the North East. The Planning Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development estimates the number of farm households in the NCA’s at around  112 000. This lies below figures which are given from Extension Services, which give a number of 114 000 farm households for the North Central Regions alone (Planning Division: 80 000).
Using an average of 5 ha per farm household (own estimation), a total of around  600 000 ha cropped land for the NCA’s comes up.

Among cereals (and also in total), pearl millet is the major staple crop and has in > 90 % of the households the biggest share in the production system. Sorghum reaches major importance only in the far North East, although it is planted all over the NCA’s in minor shares for traditional beverages. Maize is also planted on the majority of the farms, but has, due to the high risk of production failure, in the Central and Western parts only a subordinate status as dryland crop.
Cowpea is the most important legume in Northern Namibia. 95 % of farmers in the North Central Regions and about 60 % in the North East plant it, mostly intercropped under a cereal cover crop in a ration of 6 – 10 : 1. Bambara Groundnut is the second most important legume. Other legumes of minor importance are groundnut, lablab (in homesteads), and, recently, pigeon pea.

82 % of households in North Central and 67 % in Kavango (no data for Caprivi + far North East) planted Bambara Groundnut in 1993. It is mostly monocropped in small plots on selected, suitable sites (=sandy soils). Estimating an average of ± 400 m² per farm cropped with Bambara Groundnut, the total production area sums up to around 3000 ha. Use in the household diet and selling as cash crop is of equal importance, although in some areas farmers have specialized on Bambara Groundnut production for cash income. Production figures are very variable, depending on the rainy season. Due to wide spacing (± 10 – 12 plants/m²) and the lack of improved varieties yields rarely exceed 500 kg/ha. Taking 250 kg/ha as an overall average the total production calculates to 750 t/year. This does not satisfy the market requirements and a considerable amount of Bambara Groundnut is informally imported from Angola and sold with local material on traditional markets. Namibian farmers mentioned in farmers’ meetings and surveys that they would like to increase the production of Bambara Groundnut, but seed shortages and the lack of improved varieties were listed as major constraints. Seed size is an important factor for the marketing of Bambara Groundnut and the development of improved varieties aims, besides yield, also at an improvement in this characteristic.
 

A Namibian Bambara Groundnut Improvement Program was launched in 1995 to address the increasing demand for improved varieties.

Components of the program are:
- Evaluation of germplasm and identification of promising lines
- Single plant selection for yield and seed size as a breeding tool
- Improved management practices

The program is ongoing, but can already look back on three seasons with interesting results. Reports on the Namibian Bambara Groundnut Improvement Program are available from the Namibian Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Rural Development, Directorate of Research, Plant Production.