Botswana’s Rain-Fed Agriculture
Botswana’s agricultural sector is dominantly rain-fed, meaning reliant on rainy seasons for food crops, animal pastures, fodder production, and water availability for humans, crops, and animals. This reliance engenders stark vulnerability; a change in the timing and intensity of rainfall can devastate food production, starve out livestock herds, and deplete water sources, and/or turn them from sweet to saline.
The 2019-2020 season, and its deep effects on our partner Nonny and Sereledi farms, unfortunately, provided a case study in these challenges. Rains in Botswana have been less than expected for the last three years, with 2019 being the worst year to date, forcing many rain-fed farmers and ranchers to adapt to an unprecedented lack of irrigation.
Sereledi’s Challenges 2019-2020
Over a relatively short period, Nonny had built her herd up to a size over 60 animals as of the beginning of 2019. She relied on an on-farm salinated borehole for cleaning and some water needs (washing). The salinity of her on farm water sources limited its use in drinking water for her cattle, causing her to transport in drinking water for her herd. She dedicates 20 hectares of rain-fed fields to fodder crops, which she harvests to feed her cattle. For the majority of the year, she takes her cattle out for cyclical pastureland grazing on her 80 hectare farm.
Delayed rainfall crippled feed stocks and punctuated drought. Rains that typically began around November did not start until January. On-farm pasture land as well as fodder resources were limited which increased the need to procure feed from external sources. Many farms were feeling the same pressure and seeking external feed, putting added stress on feedstore stocks. This lack of rainfall most strongly impacted the availability of water. With rivers and boreholes drying up, water was prioritized for home consumption, not agriculture. Scarcity also brought price increases for water, however, feed, when available, was subject to subsidies. The drought also decreased the availability of feed and the prices were higher than normal. Even with government subsidies, the prices were too expensive for farmers to afford.
Compounding these issues were delayed payments from tenders that impeded financial liquidity to procure larger stocks of feed when available. In some instances, Nonny was forced to sell cattle to cover production costs or encourage cattle to drink saline or brackish (mixed saline and sweet) water. Some cattle were also lost to poor nutrient management or disease. At the end of the year, the herd was below 20 cattle. This season highlighted key vulnerabilities in feed and water procurement for her operations.
Wildlife conservation can also lead to the encroachment of wildlife such as buffalo and elephants into civilian and agricultural spaces. These wildlife can bring destruction to crops or carry diseases such as foot and mouth disease, a major concern in Botswana, and in particular Ngamiland. Foot and mouth disease can result in the culling of entire herds of cattle, posing a constant risk that needs to be continually managed by Batswana cattle owners.
Water Issues and Management in Botswana
Water management issues span across Botswana more broadly. Tensions exist between water and environmental use for different industries: agriculture, mining, wildlife conservation and World Heritage sites. In Ngamiland where Nonny is based, the Okavango Delta is a registered UNESCO World Heritage site and a large driver of tourism, the major industry in this region. Like in other regions of the country, industries must undergo environmental impact assessments. Restrictions from these can limit the growth and expansion of other industries even with mitigation techniques.
In order to procure access to underground water, residents must own the land they wish to drill on and acquire a permit to drill. Depending on the soil type, boreholes can be from 10 to 20m all the way to 280 or 300m below ground. Once the borehole is drilled, residents must again apply for water permits to use the water from the aforementioned borehole. There are some government assistance programs to subsidize the cost of borehole production, however, most boreholes are constructed with personal funds. Some support does exist for farmers seeking water resource management and drought mitigation opportunities. Botswana’s Citizens Entrepreneurial Development Association (CEDA) can provide farmers with loans and technical support for borehole drilling and procurement. Farmers can apply online for a borehole drilling permit and site assessment online on the Botswana government portal.
Mo’ Water Less Problems
This year’s challenges have pushed Nonny to investigate other options to improve drought resilience at Sereledi Farms. She will be looking into an additional water surveying test for another borehole on her land that could bear sweet water. There is still a risk that this borehole could be salinated, become salinated easily during drought or even dry up during times of low rainfall. Ultimately, a successful borehole solution on the present farmland would be the most ideal long-term, low-cost solution. Sereledi Farms could also consider drilling a borehole by the river on another satellite property she has and piping the water eight kilometers. The permits needed are standard and there is a relatively low cost to piping the water, but the prevalence of sandy soils by the river could increase initial capital expenditure.
In a meeting with the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency, a development bank, we learned there is a disconnect between the perception of boreholes in the north versus the south. The arenosol soil type in the area surrounding Maun is characterized by the absence of a bedrock. Therefore, the ground water runs with the river water. When the river is full there is abundant sweet ground water in boreholes, but when the river runs dry the boreholes run dry or the water turns saline. Boreholes in the north are, therefore, by nature, more vulnerable to environmental changes. Outside of the northern region, many believe that boreholes can be a full-stop solution because they are more familiar with boreholes that are dug hundreds of meters below ground into an underground aquifer that is mostly unaffected by drought and limited rainfall.
In another attempt to work within existing on-farm resources, Sereledi Farms could consider investing in desalination equipment for water from the existing borehole. Currently, there are large disparities on prices reported on the open market and prices that government officials say are available for desalination equipment. Clarifying this discrepancy will make a significant difference on the feasibility and attractiveness of this offering. We will also need to better understand the capability of available machinery as well as quality, maintenance, and energy needs. Some models seem to be solar-powered, but this will require additional solar panels and batteries.
Ultimately, she could look to diversify different paths of having water transported directly to the farm in a similar fashion to her current operations. This could be working with multiple large organizations like Eyes of Africa, her current supplier, or having agreements with other borehole owners to receive water. This diversification will likely lessen her risk of water insufficiency during drought periods.
Personal Resilience
To build physical and financial resilience will take time and effort for Sereledi farms. However, the farm already has a strong support system due to Nonny’s passion and personal resilience. Nonny’s position as a knowledgeable, well connected, driven young female entrepreneur helps her stand out in a burgeoning and challenging industry.
Despite the physical and financial challenges, Nonny has inspired other young people to make the changes they want to see in their community. Nonny comes from a family of beef farmers. She leveraged her passion for working with cattle, and identified a business opportunity to enter the dairy industry as beef profits were dropping. Her passion to educate youth on dairy practices has the potential to expand the dairy industry in Ngamiland. She has plans to set up an artificial insemination center and help other youth start off small herds of dairy cattle.
From interviews with local distributors, it is clear there is strong community pride around Nonny’s drinking yogurt with Sereledi Farms. Customers were shocked and proud to learn that such a high quality product was made in Maun. The elders of the community are familiar with her family’s history with farming and support her like grandparents. Nonny’s farm and dairy products have attracted an audience outside of Maun, and some customers travel across the country to Maun just to buy Sereledi yogurt. Nonny is a confident woman who saw opportunity in the midst of hardship and has dug a dairy den in the most unlikely of places. She is not only building a business; she is building a community.
SMART 2020: Botswana 