Roots In Palapye, Botswana - Building a Sustainable Agriculture Sector
Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa with one of the world’s fastest growing economies; however, following the global economic downturn in 2008, there is concern over the long-term sustainability of resources. In this episode, Roots visited the Agriculture Services Support Project in Palapye, which aimed to contribute to economic diversification by achieving a sustainable agriculture sector based on farming as a business. Through the provision of training and new irrigation systems, the project helped farmers like Oarabile Nkoloi George, Malebega Poroga and Baboloki Ernest Ramadi, to improve their livelihoods and reduce reliance on subsidies and welfare measures. Following the successful example of what has worked so far; IFAD operations should continue the efforts to improve the agriculture sector as well as the livelihoods of rural people in Botswana.