01 May 2014

Agriculture and food security is one of the Southern African region’s top development priorities, Botswana College of Agriculture acting principal, Dr Mataba Tapela has said.

Giving a keynote address at the launch the Botswana EverGreen Agriculture and Agroforestry Network (BEAAN), on Tuesday April 29, Dr Tapela said the development and promotion of sustainable innovations to increase agricultural productivity was the key in meeting the food needs of Southern African countries.

He encouraged partners to focus on transforming the current treeless agriculture to Evergreen Agriculture.

Dr Tapela explained EverGreen Agriculture was basically the integration of trees into annual food crop systems anchored in age-old practices aided by good science.

Therefore, he said the EverGreen Agriculture Network for Southern Africa project was very important because farmers, especially those in the dry zones, required innovations that could increase agricultural production and at the same time being sustainable in the face of climate change.

This, he said was why the network which brought together key stakeholders to build a unique network for Ever Green Agriculture and Agroforestry was of particular importance.

“It is unique in the sense that it’s a first in the country and in the region by the World Agroforestry Centre who has in the past worked in the wetter sub-humid areas. It is my sincere hope that the workshop creates opportunities to conduct research and development jointly thereby reducing costs and duplication,” he said.

The event laid the foundation for researchers, development specialist, extension workers, teachers, policy advisors, individual farmers and the media to connect with each other and identify common challenges and also share experiences of both successes and failures.

Dr Tapela said he hoped that the programme would identify opportunities and synergies for enhanced coordination and greater impact for development of EverGreen Agriculture and Agroforestry in our country.

Furthermore, BCA acting principal said sustainable agriculture and sustainable natural resources utilization had a potential to not only address the issue of economic growth, but also to create employment.

“I’m told that if we choose the right tree species and optimize management, EverGreen Agriculture can improve soil fertility, maintain vegetative soil cover year-round, improve soil structure and water infiltration, improve production of food, fodder, firewood, timber, income and many more other benefits to the environment which we have always taken for granted in the past,” he added.

Although commercial inorganic fertilisers were also important for improved production, Dr Tapela said there were inaccessible to resource-poor households.

Consequently, he said farmers resorted to applying only a pinch of the fertilizer. Due to this, he said “the soil organic matter of most of our soils is now very low as a result of using unsustainable methods and consequently, the water holding capacity of the soil is also now very low.”

Therefore, he said agriculture was the important part of the integrated soil fertility management that would overcome these challenges of soil fertility.

The workshop themed ‘Environmental Protection for Sustainable Development through Evergreen Agriculture and Agroforestry,’ was meant for key stakeholders to come up with ideas that will benefit smallholder farmers and the community at large. ENDS