The Minister of Land Reform Utoni Nujoma has called for holistic debate with regard to land issues in the two Kavango regions. Nujoma says the regions have the potential to be Namibia’s bread basket if the land was utilised productively. The minister calls for under-utilized land to be expropriated and allocated to farmers who will be able to produce food and create employment. He made the call at Nkurenkuru where a consultative conference in preparation for the second national land conference is underway. Hundreds of Kavango West residents assembled at the town to deliberate issues affecting them partnering to land allocation. Opening the two-day conference, Governor Sirkka Ausiku noted with concern, the increase in illegal fencing off of large tracks of land in communal areas denying others of grazing. Ausiku used the occasion to inform Environment and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta, about the escalating human wildlife conflict in her region. Several villages reported elephants destroying barns in their homesteads in recent weeks. Other burning issues expected to be discussed at the conference include the veterinary cordon fence and the allocation of urban land.