30 May 2022

Botswana will soon use

cutting edge technology to extract

clean and reliable water from the

sky for use at Lobu Smallstock

Farm.

Speaking during a livestock

auction sale at the farm, Acting

President Mr Slumber Tsogwane

said scientist, Dr Patrick Shiong-

Soon of NantBotswana had

donated solar hydropanels for

installation at the farm.

He said the donation would

greatly help to alleviate water

shortage at the farm as Kgalagadi

area had saline borehole water,

which was costly to treat.

Solar hydropanels work like

solar panels, but instead of

producing electricity, they produce

water, which they draw from the

atmosphere, even in areas of low

humidity.

Mr Tsogwane said government

continued to work with various

stakeholders to bring the ecofriendly

farming technology

not only to Lobu, but also to the

district.

“A donation of 100 panels is on

the way. The panels are currently

being cleared and they will be

installed in Lobu soon,” he said of

Dr Shiong-Soon’s donation.

Mr Tsogwane said government

continued to improve the farm,

which President Dr Mokgweetsi

Masisi resuscitated during the time

he was still vice president.

At the time, he said, the farm

was dilapidated and Dr Masisi

made deliberate effort to revive it

by engaging relevant stakeholders,

village authorities, Dikgosi,

cabinet ministers as well as anchor

farmers.

His efforts paid off.

“At that time it was tough. Today

Lobu has tremendously improved,”

he said.

The Acting President said in an

effort to turn Lobu into a smart

farm, government would digitalise

it, adding already broadband

internet connectivity was on the

pipeline.

He encouraged livestock farmers

to employ the same technologies to

develop their farms. This, he said,

would ensure their product was of

high quality and suitable for both

local and international markets.

He added government was

determined to create a knowledgebased

economy, and had therefore

adopted research-based approaches

to farming.

To that end it was working with

Botswana University of Agriculture

and Natural Resources and various stakeholders to improve the quality

of smallstock at the farm, he said.

Mr Tsogwane said the whole idea

behind the farm was to create jobs

through value chain formation. ENDS