Small stock farming flourishes in Kgalagadi Small stock farming ...

Small stockfarmingflourishes inkgalagadiArticle: Kesegofetse TawelePhotos: Aggripah WillieItumeleng Lesesere ventured intosmallstock farming in 1989 whileworking in Lobatse. He bought hissmallstock one by one on monthlybasis. But as fate may have it, his goatstrespassed to Namibia and were neverrecovered. He, however, did not loseheart and started buying again. He wasblessed by his younger sibling withmore goats. Today, he is a successfulboerbok farmer.The man from Goodhope cattleposts in Karakubis chose to go intocommercial small stock farming asthe returns are greater. Moreover,small stock concieve twice a yearincreasing chances of profit making.He reveals that small stock farmingis self sustainable as once started onecan sell a few animals to buy feeds andmedicines. He boasts of a flock of 230goats. The price for a buck ranges fromP850 to P1000 depending on whethera buyer buys in bulk or not.Lesesere explained that he choseboerbok because of its adaptability,its beauty (skin colour) and it is alsoquick to gain weight. However, a dayto day management of the flock isvery important as it determines theincome generated from the project. Inaddition, the flock has to be vaccinatedmore often for various diseases likepasturella and worms which areprevalent in the area. He also stressedthe importance of supplementaryfeeding more especially to lactatingdoes. He believes a doe should lactatefor a month and then wean in order toprepare it for the next conception. Anda farmer has to have several paddocksfor lactating does, for bucks, and forfeeding. Kids have to be kept and fedseparately to avoid stamping by olderones.Lesesere lamented failure byLivestock Advisory Centre’s (LAC) tostock various feeds and medicines. Hethus has to travel to Namibia to buythem. He also decried lack of marketfor small stock. He pleads with thegovernment to open an abattoir forsmall stock or for Botswana MeatCommission (BMC) to start buyingfrom them. He says it is very expensiveto transport goats to Ghanzi. Healso stressed that as a business it isimportant to make bulk sales to ensurecontinuity of the business.Mr Thabo Kusane, ScientificOfficer in the Ministry of Agricultureadmitted that pasturella (Bolwetse jamadi) is prevalent in Kgalagadi areaand is seasonal. He therefore advisedfarmers to vaccinate more often aseven vaccination does not guarantee100% prevention. He explainedthat pasturella has no symptomsand usually attacks an animal whilesleeping. He, however regretted thatthis disease is not provided for bythe government vaccination scheme.Therefore farmers are encouraged tobuy medicines and ask the Veterinaryofficers to vaccinate for them. Healso encouraged farmers to vaccinateagainst worms as they can causeabortion and acute loss of weight(Mmopamo).Itumeleng LesesereAugust 2012 4

the LimitwanesArticlescale of the company is determined by is managing production in the company.profit brackets. The company currently Abidile further accredited their successsupplies Spar, various lodges and the to the team spirit that she and hergeneral public in Kasane with vegetables. husband has.It has created employment for eight “In spite of different strengths andpeople with the exception of directors. skills we bring to the company weAbie’s Vegetable Garden produces work together a lot. We get in the fieldseasonal vegetables all year round. She and work with our staff. If you see ussaid from March to July they plant and work in overalls you will not be able toharvest leafy vegetables because there recognize us.”are less insects that eat such vegetables With so much done and achieved,at the time. During the hotter monthsfrom August to December, they plantmelons and butternuts which do betterduring that period. The rest of the monthsare then dedicated to dry land farming.Abidile said even though they enjoyso many successes, there still do nothave machinery. Besides, the boreholeand the irrigation sprinkler they usehands to plant. However, she takespride in that they do an efficient workas machinery can do with bare hands.“We know what is necessary forplants to grow healthy. We use handsto do most processes that are known tobe done with implements. For instance,we make ridges like a tractor with ourhands when planting.”To make production natural andcheaper, the Nkwanes use cow manurewhich they scout around their field.Besides, Abidile explained that the blackcotton soil they plant on is rich and doesnot need a lot of fertilizers.Just like in any organization, theNkwanes have different roles that aredependant on each other and overlap.Abigal with experience in Administrationand a diploma in Public Administrationand Management does more of theadministration of the company. WhileJoseph a retired Police Superintendent& Photos: Keamogetse Boitshepothe Nkwanes say the sky is the limitas they still have aspirations to buildtheir company to be among majorvegetable suppliers in Botswana. Theyuse shows and field days to networkand benchmark with other farmers.Their near future plans include ridingon a new wave of agricultural financialassistance that commercial banks areoffering, to reach the next milestone oftheir agricultural dream.7August 2012

77.8.9.10.11.101199August 2012

AGRICULTURAL SERVICESUPPORT PROJECT (ASSP)The Ministry of Agriculture istirelessly researching andstrategizing ways to improvethe agricultural sector, henceimprove food security at alllevels. Keamogetse Boitshepo istalking to the Project Manager,Agricultural Service SupportProject (ASSP), Ms IkgopolengDaisy Thamae about one of therecently launched assistanceprojects.1. W h a t i s AgriculturalService Support Project (ASSP)?ASSP is a five year pilot projectdesigned to enhance theproductivity of rain fedagriculture through use ofi m p r o v e d a g r i c u l t u r a ltechnologies, lower cost farmmechanization and developa viable model for smallholderirrigation using waste waterresources.2. W h a t n e c e s s i t a t e destablishing of this Project?The need to reduce ruralpovertyLow yield productionHeavy dependency on foodimportsH e a v y d e p e n d e n c yo n s u b s i d i e s w h i c h a r eunsustainable in the long run.3. What main challengesis the Project attempting tosolve?To reduce dependencyon subsidies and welfaremeasures in the agriculturalsector.Low technology adoption andresultant low yields.4. Which group is the projecttargeting and why?S m a l l h o l d e r h o u s e h o l d sexperiencing household foodand income insecurity5. W h i c h d e v e l o p m e n tstrategies and policies doesthe project relate with?.Vision 2016.NDP 10. T h e N a t i o n a l P o l i c y o nAgricultural Development.The National Food Security.The Rural Development Policy.The Revised National Strategyfor Poverty Reduction.The Agricultural Sector GenderPolicy.The National Policy on Womenin Development.The National Master Plan forWastewater and Sanitation6. There seem to be arelation between ISPAAD andASSP. What is the relation?ASSP complements ISPAADin terms of implementationin order to refocus ISPAADso that it could become amore effective instrument ininfluencing improved results(yields). It does this throughpromoting “improved farming”amongst smallholders as wellas forging close partnershipwith key stakeholders tosupport smallholders in orderto make the objective of foodsecurity possible.7. How and when is theProject planned to roll out?Project roll out will be throughdistricts consultative meetings,districts startup workshops andstakeholder consultations. ASSPwill first pilot its interventionsat Parakarungu, Tonotaand Jwaneng AgriculturalService Centers as prioritizedunder ISPAAD. The projectcommenced on April 2012.8. Who is funding the Project?Government of Botswanaand the International Fundfor Agricultural Development(IFAD)9. When is the Projectexpected to end?31 st March 2017.10. Any other information?ASSP: Promoting SustainableSmallholder AgriculturalProduction.T h e T h e m e f o r 2 0 1 2 - 1 3Plan is “Raising Awarenessand Mobilizing for ASSPImplementation.”August 2012 10

Ostriches have aArticle: Keamogetse BoitshepoPhoto: Aggripah WillieDibete Ostrich MultiplicationUnit (DOMU) is a home formore than 1000 ostrichescomprising of South African Blacksand Kgalagadi Blue breeds. The unitwas established by the Ministry ofAgriculture as a catalyst to revive theostrich industry in Botswana.During the Agrinews’ visit tothe farm, it became evident thatthese birds enjoy human company.When they saw our vehicle, they ranalong the paddock fence seeminglyto racing against it. Unfortunately,they lost the race at the fence thatdivides the paddock, where anotherbatch takes over in the next paddock.When the vehicle stopped the birdsgathered attempting to have physicalcontact.540 of the ostrich population inthe DOMU farm are the breederbirds comprising of 206 males and334 females. For breeding purposes,the birds are grouped in differentpaddocks.“A paddock for breeder birds has12 resident birds all together, madeup of eight females and four males.Ostriches commit to relationships,often one cock mate with two tothree hens. But in DOMU, we usea ration of 1:2,” said Mr ThebeyameEole, Scientific Officer.Eole said the ostriches naturallyform groups and are territorial hencecreate unmarked territories withinthe paddocks.Most of the breeding birds, Eolenoted, are more than 30 years of ageand are still on the prime of theirfertility. He said ostriches stay fertilefor the longest time of their life spansince they can breed until they arearound 80 years of age.“The female ostriches are readyto start breeding at 12 months whilemale ones start breeding at threeyears.”For business purposes, Eoleasserted that it is imperative to studyOstrich birdsAugust 2012 12

Promising Futurethe fertility rate of each bird andremove those that do not produceaccordingly.Like other animals, ostriches havecertain behaviours and body changeswhen they are on heat. Eole said thefemales tend to raffle their featherswhile their male counterparts’ legcolor turns reddish and prepare anest for eggs.The Farm Manager, Mr HarryJohnson said an ostrich female birdhas a potential to produce 38 eggsper production season. Johnson saidthe farm has a potential to produce8 000 hatching eggs per breedingseason which spreads through Mayto December each year.However, he said the farmcurrently produces between fourand five thousand eggs becauseof controlled breeding due to theclosure of the abattoir.E v e n t h o u g h t h e f a r mhas deliberately reduced theirproduction rate, the preparationsto fulfill their mandate of effectivelymultiplying ostriches are underway.At the time of the visit, theconstruction of the incubator wasalmost complete. Johnson said theincubator will be used to incubateeggs hence the birds will continuewith breeding.“Incubation of an ostrich egg takesabout 42 days so if the broodingwas done naturally the birds willspend more time brooding. As suchartificial brooding relieves breedingbirds of such responsibility henceimproving breeding rate.”However, Johnson clarified thatthe unit has always outsourcedincubation services for brooding ofeggs.Further, Johnson said the chicksare sold when they are between 10and 12 months to licensed ostrichfarmers. This, he said, is to ensurethat buyers have conducive farmsfor the birds.Thebeyame Eole13August 2012

Desperatetimes turnopportunitiesArticle: Kesegofetse TawelePhotos: Aggripah WillieKe o l o p i l e M o t s h a b i s e o fC h a r l e s h i l l s t a r t e d h e rbackyard garden under oddcircumstances.Those odd circumstances turnedbreakthroughs to her life. All startedin 2003 when she fell very sick andcould not walk.She was diagnosed with Gout andwas advised to eat green vegetables.Due to her health condition, sheKeolopile Motshabisestarted with two backyard gardenplots at the time and little did sheknow that those two plots marked anew lease of life.Motshabise revealed that herplots were spotted by an Agriculturaldemonstrator who advised her toexpand and helped her to preparemore plots. After she got better,horticulture became her primarysource of income. She plantedChomolia, Spinach and Rape. Shesold one leaf for 25 thebe. As theAgricultural Demonstrators saw herprogress they facilitated that sheattend horticulture related courses inFrancistown. Thereafter, her pricingalso improved as she started to usea scale instead of selling per leaf,she sells 500grams for P4 whereas1kg costs P6.She expanded her garden andincreased varieties to includeEthiopian mustard, Beetroots,Tomatoes, Onions and Carrots.Motshabise explained thatEthiopian mustard is preferredby most people therefore itssales are high.She reinvested some ofthe profits into her project byfencing and net shading andbuying fertilizers. Motshabiseexude enthusiasm and passionwhen she talks of the developmentsshe did in her homestead with herprofits. She has electrified her housesand connected water pipe which sheuses to water her garden. She evenmanaged to pay for her children’sschool fees.When most businessmen andwomen strive to be the best above therest, this remarkable woman believesin healthy competition as the basisof growth. She encouraged her twochildren, one under 4B club to startsimilar projects. She also mentors oneother child whose project collapsed.“Competition encourages one to workextra hard and be more dedicatedto his or her enterprise.” This isaugmented by the awards she took atthis year’s Ghanzi show. She took twochampions for Ethiopian mustard andorange, and several first classes forother crops. Her children also provedto be on the right track as they got firstclasses as well.However, her business is faced withchallenges of its own like nematodesin the soil of which she has to travelto Maun or send people to Gaboroneto buy pesticides. She also decriedlack of transport to take her produceto the market.She explained that she gain mostsales by going around the villageselling from house to house or goingto sell at the clinic where most peopleare gathered, but she has to carry herproduce in a large bowel on her head.She lamented failure by the land boardto allocate her a plot where she couldexpand her business as the space inher yard is no longer enough.August 2012 14

Guinea fowl farmerremainsArticle: Segomotso BasutiPhotos: Aggripah WillieLike any other man, ThekisoMadigwe dreamt of a happylife where he would not bedependent on any one for his nextmeal. But what happens when thisdoes not come true. One may betempted to give up and watch as hispursuit of a happy life evaporatesdue to countless setbacks they findthemselves in. Madigwe, however,soldiers on and preaches patienceamidst tough times.It has been three years since Madigweacquired Guinea Fowls through theLivestock Management InfrastructureDevelopment (LIMID) programme.His birds are escalating in numbers.Not knowing his story one would thinkbusiness is flourishing by looking atthem. This is not the case as each dayhas its challenges.Problems encountered by this farmerare many to count. It is howeversoothing to learn that he has placedoptimism above gloom. With the costof living escalating daily, Madigwestruggles to keep his business going.He states that in a month there isa lot of money spent on feeds andmedicine crippling him from seeinghis business grow.“Total expenses incurred in a monthare a sky rocketing P600.00, it wouldoptimisticoptimisticbe better if I was spending such anamount while there is growth but thereare just too many problems here.”Diseases are also something that iscausing havoc in Madigwe’s bird pen.He does all one could do to controlthem, but the rate at which the birdsdie is overwhelming.However, according to Madigwe, onecould sustain their lives throughGuinea Fowl rearing. Witha price tag of P150.00 hebelieves if the marketwas good in his area,he would be able to putfood on his table.“The market here isa problem, but I amyet to do an intensiveadvertising of mybusiness in hotels andlodges as selling toindividuals hasnot provedlucrative.”Government no longer providesassistance for Guinea Fowls under theLIMID programme. This Madigwe said,has been a big blow to Guinea Fowlfarmers as the government used tobuy from to assist other beneficiaries.With the cessation of the componentfrom the programme farmers haveto source their own market which isalready scarce.He said things used to be betteras government would buyfrom him to sell to farmerswho had been funded tostart their own projectsbut times have sincebeen tough. For farmerslike Madigwe, only hopekeeps them going. Thebelief that tomorrow willbe much brighter thanthe current day keepshim going despiteall odds.August 2012 16

TEASERSCompiledBy Segomotso BasutiDid you know?A giraffe can go without water longer than a camel.Did you know?On average, pigs live for about 15 years.Did you know?Newborn rabbits are called kittens.Did you know?No two cows have exactly the same pattern of spots.Did you know?The bright orange color of carrots tell you they’re an excellent source of Vitamin A which isimportant for good eyesight, especially at night.Did you know?You do not need cotton buds to clean a giraffe ears. It can do so with its own 50cm-tongue.Did you know?While the male lion rests in its den, it is the females that have to go out and get food.Did you know?Sheep are very social animals and live in groups called “flocks.” When faced with danger, a flockwill run together for a short distance, then turn to face the danger as a group.Did you know?Potatoes are only 20% solids…and 80% water.Did you know?An elephant trunk has no bone but 40,000 muscles.Did you know?A Tomato is versatile vegetable for cooking. It can be prepared stuffed, baked, boiled, stewed,pickled, and fried, and are the base for many sauces.19August 2012