Africa-Press – Namibia. Seventy-six-year-old Reinhold Hensel left Germany nine years ago and settled in the Omusati region with one goal – that of transforming farming into a business and helping the community.
While many of his old friends in Germany chose to spend retirement fishing by the sea, Hensel decided to follow his lifelong passion for farming. Settling in Onguludhiya village, he turned that dream into reality. Today, he is one of the few successful farmers producing animal feed from sorghum remains, sugarcane, sunflowers and different grasses, something never seen in the community before. Local farmers now rely on him for goat feed, as he is the only producer in the area.
However, Hensel’s path has not been easy. Getting enough water is still a big challenge, and some community members remain hesitant to farm anything other than mahangu. “Land should not only be for mahangu. There are many other crops that can bring income and improve our lives,” he explained.
Even with the challenges, Hensel’s efforts are showing great results. His products have already made it to trade fairs, and his goat farming is growing strongly. He produces goat milk and cheese.
Next year, he plans to start making goat powder milk while training local women to produce cheese on their own.
Hensel’s dream is training farmers to see the many agricultural opportunities around them. He believes his life now has true purpose in Namibia. After a divorce in Germany, he decided to make Uukwaluudhi his permanent home.
He carries a big dream to train and inspire local farmers to look beyond tradition and embrace the many agricultural opportunities around them. He says Namibia has given his life a new purpose, one he never imagined finding after leaving Germany. What started as a painful divorce turned into a fresh beginning, as he chose to plant his roots permanently in Uukwaluudhi.
“This place feels like home, and my heart belongs here now. I have no desire to return to Germany, my future is here in Namibia,” he said with a bright smile.
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