Africa-Press – Botswana. The agricultural industry leaders have been implored to embrace technology to increase production and optimally explore the sector value chain.
For technology to be effective and produce the anticipated results, it must be driven by one’s willingness to change.
Officiating at the National Agricultural Show in Gaborone on Friday, the Director of US based Texas A&M Agric Life Research, Dr Cliff Lamb, said a mindset change towards acquiring new methods of improving the agricultural sector was highly recommended in order to improve the industry.
Therefore, he said strategic partnerships, such as the one that they were having with Botswana were crucial.
“No one will become successful without the support of others,” he said.
Dr Lamb said the show was a great opportunity for arable and pastoral farmers to participate in the resuscitation of the agricultural sector, adding that it was an opportunity to develop the sector’s value chain by networking with key players in the industry to develop relationships that would take the sector forward.
He said his visit to Botswana and officiating at the National Agricultural Show gave his team an opportunity to interact and better understand the system that was used to drive the sector in the country.
Dr Lamb appreciated President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi for establishing the relationship during his state visit to the USA in 2022 which led to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to substantiate the relationship.
Dr Lamb said though not knowing what to expect when invited to officiate at the show, he was impressed by the level of preparedness.
He said the show was testimony to what was being done to rejuvenate the agricultural sector towards growing the economy.
He said Texas A&M Agric Life was the largest non-federal agricultural entity in the US spending over US$3 million on research related to the sector towards developing new ways in order to be productive and efficient in a more sustainable way.
Additionally, he said Texas State was among the four largest producers of agricultural products in the USA, with beef cattle taking a larger portion.
As such, Dr Lamb said beef cattle were responsible for more than 50 per cent of the contribution to GDP that was generated by agricultural products.
He applauded Botswana for the move to resuscitate and grow livestock production.
Dr Lamb said his company was engaged in research and primarily focused on among others artificial insemination and embryo transplant.
His company was also working on sustainable production systems, which included among others environmental and financial sustainability, he said.
“We also want to make sure that there is economic health for the production systems to be economically vibrant,” he said.
Dr Lam who grew up in Zimbabwe in an agricultural setting said without farmers there would be no food security hence their efforts were worthy to be appreciated.
He said it was important to understand the value of agriculture adding that there was a push towards using technology to advance the sector.
“We want everybody to think about adopting technology, but technology alone will not produce the desired results without addressing other pertinent areas,” he said.
Dr Lamb said technologies such as the use of Artificial Insemination would never yield the desired results if the animals were not fed well and given the necessary care to conceive or be productive.
Therefore, Dr Lamb said the show was a platform where best practices were to be shared to grow the sector.
“I came with a contingent of expertise in areas animal production, breeding and plant production, among others who are committed on collaborating with the local farmers to enhance what was happening in Botswana and also to take from them what we could use to improve our production systems in the USA,” he said.
Dr Lamb said he was reliably informed that back in 1966, the agricultural sector used to contribute 40 per cent to the country’s GDP as compared to the current of about 2.4 per cent.
Therefore, he said, it was extremely important to continue working together to save the sector.
He said the current situation was a culmination of many factors among them poor adoption of modern technology, climate change, erratic rainfall, as well as challenges of drought.
However, Dr Lamb said creating a resilient production system would help to overcome many of the aforementioned challenges.
He said the agricultural industry was under a myriad of threats among them climate change, adding that climate change was a universal threat therefore advised farmers that as they were working on increasing livestock herd, they must equally pay attention to animal feeds production.
Dr Lamb said modern technology brought solutions driving food security and economic prosperity.
He said Botswana had identified beef cattle and small stock production as priority areas to economic development, a commitment that was testified by buying the best cattle breeds from the USA to improve the local genetics.
Nonetheless, Dr Lamb said the move must not compromise the development of other equally important sectors in agriculture.
He said areas sectors such as grain production and non-animal food systems must equally by given attention to balance the agricultural eco-system.
“We have the expertise to work with you and help on developing those sectors. Manage land resources as well as strengthen skills and capacity. You cannot succeed without increasing the human capacity and knowledge base,” he said.
Dr Lamb said Botswana was unique in comparison with many parts of the world as it was taking the lead in disease mitigation.
“We are impressed with what the country has done in committing to mitigate livestock diseases,” he said.
He noted that Botswana would spend P25 million to rehabilitate cordon fences to preserve disease free zones, P100 million on the FMD affected 6B zone as well as rehabilitating fence along international boundaries.
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