Kalahari Wild Silk Company

The harvesting, hand-spinning and weaving of pure Namibian wild silk is undertaken by local communities in the Kalahari in a sustainable and ecologically friendly manner. Only cocoons from which the moths have emerged are harvested for production.

Kalahari Wild Silk products are produced at the factory in Leonardville and may be purchased at the workshop at 48 Uhland Street, Klein Windhoek, Windhoek. Guided tours are offered at both (booking advisable).

Additional activities that may be booked at Leonardville:

• Donkey cart rides;
• Guided trips to the 'Ou Dorp' (Old Town) and ruined church in the Nossob River Valley;
• Guided township tours; and
• Singing and dancing by local community.

"From pest to opportunity" - a true Namibian success story:

The Pest:

The ingestion of the cocoons of the 'Brandwurm' - Gonometa postica - by commercial livestock and wildlife indigenous to the Kalahari - has caused thousands of deaths through rumen impaction, culminating in huge financial losses to both commercial and communal farmers.

Until now, the only solution has been surgical removal of "bexoars" (the build-up of silk and plant material in the stomach), which is very expensive and difficult to monitor. Farmers have called for the pest's eradication through chemical control but this has been deemed impractical because of the huge distribution area, high cost and negative impact on the environment.

The Opportunity:

By the controlled harvesting and processing of cocoons, a "pest" has been turned into an "opportunity" through:

• the alleviation of livestock and wildlife losses;
• the improvement of rural livelihoods by job creation and income generation;
• the utilization of an unexploited natural resource; and
• the maximization of value addition through local processing.

Employment Creation:

In order to benefit from this valuable natural resource, a textile processing facility has been set up in Leonardville. Hundreds of farm workers now earn extra income from the harvesting of cocoons. The facility has also created dozens of jobs by way of the degumming process of the cocoons, the spinning of the raw silk into yarn, the dyeing of the yarn, and the final weaving of the silk into fabric.

All employees are paid on a production basis and through continuous product development and marketing, the future growth of this valuable employment opportunity is ensured.