Almost 80% of cropped area in Namibia are sown to pearl millet. It is the staple food and the principal source of food security for the majority of the country's smallholders. It accounts for an estimated 24% of total calories intake and roughly 40% of cereal grain intake by Namibian consumers (SADC Regional Early Waning Unit, 1997). But limited rains and frequent droughts reduce average pearl millet yields to less than 400 kg ha-1. In drier years, yields fall below 200 kg ha-1. Namibia's pearl millet breeding program in partnership with ICRISAT released Okashana 1 in 1989 which has early maturity, higher average grain yields, and an improved probability of harvest, when rainfall is poor. It allows farmers who sow with the first rains to obtain a grain harvest 30 to 50 days earlier than are possible with traditional varieties. The new cultivar allows farmers to sow a late and still obtain a harvest. And multiple sowing help farmers distribute their labor more evenly over the cropping season and thus improve the timelines of sowing, weeding and harvesting. The purpose of this study was to identify the reasons for rapid adoption of Okashana 1 in Namibia and to quantify the impact of Okashana 1 to farmers and consumers of pearl millet in Namibia.