04 Jul 2022

Government should strike a balance between tourism and agriculture to allow farmers to produce enough food while co-existing with wildlife.

Residents of Makalamabedi in the Ngamiland region complained during a kgotla meeting addressed by the Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi, that government was prioritising wildlife conservation over agriculture.

They said government should work towards a win-win solution for both agriculture and wildlife conservation in the district.

While they appreciated initiatives aimed at improving food security, the residents said efforts to effectively utilise their ploughing fields and keep livestock were in vain as the district was a home to the country’s largest elephant population and other predators such as lions, hyenas and jackals.

Elephant population, they said, had increased and they had encroached into human populated areas.

One resident, Mr Kgotlaekae Moabi urged government to consider reducing the number of elephants so that they could utilise their agricultural land freely.

Around 1964, he said, they used to enjoy high yields from their ploughing fields, but currently they were becoming more impoverished due to elephant intrusion.

He also decried low compensation of damages caused by elephants, saying it often did not match the massive damage that the animals often caused.

Mr Tsholofelo Ramolelo acknowledged that residents had responded positively to the government’s plea to take agriculture seriously and ensure food availability, but they were frustrated by elephants.

The delay by wildlife officers to attend to the damage and pay compensation, he said, exacerbated the situation, adding that some residents were losing interest in ploughing.

He also complained about lack of maintenance of cordon fences, noting that the presence of marauding elephants constantly damaged the fence, thereby allowing cattle to trespass.

Mr Ramolelo wished the government could consider electrifying the cordon fence in order to chase away elephants from encroaching into their fields.

Mr Ogopotse Keaikitse concurred that elephants had made community to become hostile and negative towards wildlife and wished government could do something to manage them.

“Ditlou di re tsentse mo seemong sa botshelo se se thata le ntswa puso e rotloetsa gore re tshele natso.

Re kile ra bo re bolaya thobo mme malatsi ano re tswa fela re iphotlhere,” he added.

Mr Keaikitse noted that their ploughing land had turned into forests because elephants had chased them away.

In response, Mr Molebatsi agreed that electrifying of the cordon fences would be a solution, noting that the idea was working miracles in areas of Mathathane in Bobirwa.

He said the government was also worried by the damages caused by elephants, adding that it was senseless to assist farmers with farming implements  knowing that there would be no production at the end.

Mr Molebatsi encouraged farmers to form clusters so that government could assist them with fence and electrify it so that they reap better yields from their fields.

He also assured residents that maintenance of the Makalamabedi codon fence and the one separating Botswana from Namibia would be carried this financial year.

Member of Parliament for Maun East, Mr Goretetse Kekgonegile admitted that elephants were giving farmers a headache as they were no longer taking care of their ploughing fields for fear of the jumbos. He emphasised the need for government to come up with permanent solutions to challenges faced by the community.

Electrification of the fences, he acknowledged, could be a solution, provided there was proper management of the fence.

Mr Kekgonegile noted that both wildlife conservation and agriculture were critical components of Ngamiland’s economy, hence the government should strike a balance between the two.

“Despite the district being rich in both wildlife and livestock resources, it was the second poorest with increasing conflicts at the interface between wildlife and livestock.

This is worrisome,” he said. Ends