10 Dec 2023

Government ministries have been encouraged to access global funds that could help the country cushion the effects of climate change such as droughts. 

The advice was given by the Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane when debating an urgent motion that requested government to come up with temporary measures to cushion Batswana against the current drought, which is a result of climate change.

Parliament approved the motion, which was tabled by Kgalagadi South legislator, Mr Sam Brooks. 

Mr Tsogwane said accessing global funds such as the Green Climate Fund would help relieve government from relying on its funds to address climate change-related challenges.

He said Botswana had a Climate Change policy since 2021, which guided government on related issues.

“Decisions such as making Ipelegeng permanent, a departure from the old Drought Relief Programme were informed by this policy. 

Apart from just subsidies for animal feed and vaccines, there is also a need to ease payment plans for those who applied for loans to invest in agriculture,” he said.

Mr Tsogwane said he was hopeful that the Rural Development Council, which advised government would consider such issues during its meeting on Wednesday, although he cautioned that its recommendations might take long to implement as they would have to be approved by Parliament.

Earlier on when tabling the motion, Mr Sam Brooks said it was important for government to come up with an interim programme to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change to ensure national food security, safeguard the economy and sustain livelihoods, especially vulnerable and rural communities

In motivating the motion, he said the effects of climate change such as droughts and veldt fires were already affecting the livelihoods, especially rural people, hence the need for government to find solutions to cushion citizens.

He said current government assistance such as subsidies on animal feeds and vaccines was not enough for the current drought, which he said was the worst in over four decades.

Also debating the motion  Nkange MP, Dr Never Tshabang said subsidies would not work as there was no pasture.

“Subsidies are normally meant to augment pasture, but at the moment the land has degraded such that farmers will be forced into zero grazing. So government has to come up with a definite initiative on how to assist the agriculture sector,” he said.

Dr Tshabang also said government should consider assisting farmers to drill boreholes to reduce reliance on rainfall.

Takatokwane legislator, Mr Tshoganetso Leuwe also said although government was financially challenged, any assistance towards the current drought should be affordable as it would only be temporary. He also decried the tendency of some suppliers of animal feeds to increase prices the moment government subsidized, saying such frustrated all efforts.

Okavango legislator, Mr Kenny Kapinga said the drought would be more challenging for rural people who were economically and resource challenged to cope. 

He said this would escalate the human-wildlife conflict and worsen land degradation.

He, however, said government should have been proactive with assistance as forecasts on the current drought had long been available. Mr Kapinga also suggested that government should suspend the Temo Letlotlo initiative which was recently launched to boost crop production.

“This initiative was mooted on the assumption of all things being normal, but now that we are faced with a drought that was unforeseen when the initiative was done, there will be no harm in suspending it, otherwise we will be pouring funds down the drain,” he advised.

Specially elected Member of Parliament, Ms Beauty Manake advised that government should emulate neighbouring Namibia and subsidise farmers who want to venture into fodder production through irrigation. She said in Namibia, such a subsidy was full-time even when there was no drought, which ensured the availability of fodder in times of need.

She also suggested a ban on the importation of fodder as was the case with horticulture products as a way of boosting the local fodder production. ends