31 Jan 2024

Agricultural extension officers have been implored to sensitize the farmers about the newly introduced ‘Temo Letlotlo’ programme aimed to attain food security in Botswana.

The call was made by Matlapana Deputy Kgosi, Kgosi Kebatho Kesekile, in an interview noting that majority of farmers in the North West region were elderly people in rural areas who lacked information about some of the good agricultural initiatives in place.

Temo Letlotlo programme, he said, was a brilliant initiative which could increase agricultural productivity, promote employment creation and improve the living standards of people by lifting them out of abject poverty if well implemented hence the need to adequately roll it out to the farming community.  While he appreciated that some members of the community had abandoned their ploughing field because of marauding elephants that caused destruction to crops, he believed that the programme could motivate farmers to make efforts to use their field effectively to improve food security.

“If farmers are knowledgeable about this good programme, they will apply in large numbers more so that it has a component of electric fencing which can help mitigate issues of human wildlife conflict and improve agricultural output. This programme has enormous potential to turn our fortunes and improve the local economy if well utilized,” Kgosi Kesekile added.

Kgosi Kesekile, who is passionate about farming, said there was confusion as some people heard misleading reports about the new programme and called on officers to set the record straight and encourage the community to take advantage of opportunities coming with the programme.

He acknowledged that Temo Letlotlo was solely meant for Batswana to improve their livelihood noting that it was also meant to promoted inclusivity in agricultural production as it catered for all categories of the society including people with disability.

He also appreciated that the programme required full time farmers in order to reap better yields and encouraged young people to participate in agricultural activities and employ modern farming practices to increase agricultural productivity.

On other issues, Kgosi Kesekile expressed concern about some contractors and individuals who illegally sourced water from the Thamalakane River saying they were contributing to the drying of the river. He called on relevant authorities to monitor the situation and take action against the culprits as the river was a source of livelihood for the community. The water from the river, he said, was used for livestock, wildlife, molapo farming, horticulture, fishing as well as domestic applications including drinking. Furthermore, Kgosi Kesekile said the Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) sourced water from the river following the arrival of the water-floods in Maun, noting that currently, the village was experiencing severe water shortage due to the drying of the river.

The corporation was forced to switch off Borolong water treatment plant which watered some parts of Maun from the river.

“This is worrisome as some contractors engaged to undertake big projects have the tendency of collecting water into bowsers for construction purposes and thus had impacted negatively on the level of water in the river. Human activities have the potential to even impair water quality thereby reducing the utility of water as a resource and degrading aquatic ecosystem,” he added. ENDS