Africa-Press – Botswana. Agriculture is considered one of the major drivers of the country’s economy and has the potential to contribute significantly to the national food security.
It is a major source of livelihood for many rural communities, alleviates poverty and uplifts livelihoods despite the fact that farmers go through a wide range of challenges, which include climate change, shortage of skilled farm labourers, shortage of farm implements, unfavourable market prices for produce, high production costs associated with acquiring farm inputs and market access challenges.
The challenges hinder local farmers to scale up from subsistence to commercial farming. Moreover, they experience a decline in production.
This was revealed by a prominent farmer at Zurizwane farms near Dimajwe, Mr Thabo Hoki, when giving a keynote address at Serowe District Crop Exhibition Day on Thursday.
The event was themed: Bridging the Gap: Advancing Productivity for All.
Mr Hoki noted that crop exhibition offered a conducive learning environment for both established and aspiring farmers, as such it offered a golden opportunity to share ideas and learn from the successful ones.
“There is a dire need for farmers, the government and other stakeholders to collaborate and form of public private partnership in coming up with strategies to curb these challenges for sustainable production.”
Farmers were encouraged to organise themselves and form farmers’ associations, promote cooperatives for advocacy and tackle challenges as a collective.
Mr Hoki further said it was through crop production that they could ensure the socio-economic development of the rural communities by improving food security, creating employment as well as ensuring income generation and opportunity for value chain.
He stated that technologies such as Smart Agriculture, fertilizer application, optimal plant population, timely weeding and pest control could help increase production, adding that technology adoption rose efficient use of resources, resulting in higher productivity and accelerated growth.
“As a farming community we need to embrace technological adoption as it plays a critical role in development, which ultimately enhances overall growth and productivity.”
He stated that the government was helping communities through subsidies and agricultural programmes such as Temo Letlotlo and Impact Accelerator Subsidy.
Mr Hoki hailed the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture’s Temo Letlotlo programme for the provision of fencing and tractor scheme.
There are 161 fencing projects that have been completed and about 43 tractor and implements have been acquired in the Serowe District since inception of the programme.
For his part, the deputy chairperson of Umbrella Farmers Committee, Serowe District, Mr Monkgogi Lenkamile, advised fellow farmers to take whatever they wanted to do seriously and work together and actively do the needful rather than standing alone and be susceptible to failure.
He said farmers’ committees should closely work with agricultural demonstrators and veterinarians to distribute seeds and fertilizers to fellow farmers and drive issues to improve the agricultural sector.
He said farmers’ committee members failed to meet to iron out and voice out their concerns to the government in order to be assisted.
Among those who brought their products for exhibition, Grand Champion winner in the Groundnuts category, Ms Mmamonato Phengula of Mmantshididi lands appreciated the coming back of crop exhibition after a long time, saying since the annual Serowe District show was halted due to the recent drought, effectively showcase her stock.
She said district shows helped the likes of her to earn money to improve their ploughing strategies.
She appealed to other farmers to be patient and committed to farming because it was the only one which could alleviate poverty apart from employment.
Ms Elisabeth Mabaila, who produces a variety of crops at Moiyabana and is also a winner, indicated that she sold some of her products and consumed the rest with her family.
She advised fellow farmers to normalise staying at the fields, not to run the farm remotely.
She encouraged women to engage in farming and do away with the misconception that it was a man’s domain.
Source: dailynews
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