14 May 2024

Women have been advised to meaningfully take part in agriculture to help feed the nation.

Speaking during the queen’s  retreat and Mother’s Day commemoration in Kanye on May 11, Kgosi Annah Rankho of Ghanzi said the event was meant to honour mothers for their love and care. 

“Mothers are the backbone of families and communities,” she said.The event, held under the theme, ‘Agriculture Coronation: Celebrating the Queen Mother’s contribution to empowering women and girls in agriculture’, Kgosi Rankho said it showed that a queen had to make a positive difference in her community. 

She said queens could make a difference by being committed, empathetic, sympathetic, showing love and understanding the needs of their communities. 

Kgosi Rankho said queens should be vigilant to ensure that women had equal responsibilities, rights as well as treatment, so that they could participate and decide or benefit from any developments. 

“No one should be left behind. Issues of equality must be well exercised for practices of fairness, and justice in the distribution of benefits, responsibilities, services and access to and in control of resources,” she added. 

She highlighted the need for women to be highly supported in agriculture, adding that the event was a good step to discuss how they could meaningfully partake in agriculture. 

She said there was a positive leadership in Botswana, where citizens were encouraged to produce their own food within the country, hence the need as women and girls to take advantage of that.

Bangwaketse queen, Masetsibi Gaseitsiwe, said the event was meant to remember, honour and appreciate mothers. She said it was also a reminder to queen mothers that they play a pivotal role in their communities.

“It is a reminder that they were capable of influencing and effecting required change to address social ills within the communities,” she said.Bangwaketse queen said queens could achieve a lot to better their communities if they worked closely with residents and relevant organisations. 

She informed them that a mother wore many hats, noting that she was a caregiver, provider, nurturer and a protector. 

However, she said the event was meant to recognise mothers for their role in the provision of food, hence the theme, ‘Queen mothers contribution in empowering women and girls in agriculture’. 

Queen Gaseitsiwe said the idea behind involving women in agriculture was not new, adding that in the past they played a vital role in agriculture. 

“They did that under different circumstances, there were no equipment used like today as well as relevant information but they prospered in producing food,” she noted. 

She therefore urged women to stand firm and play a meaningful role in agriculture even though they were faced with various challenges. 

She said the government had introduced initiatives to empower Batswana including women such as Temo Letlotlo, Thuo Letlotlo as well as Chema Chema. 

Therefore she urged women to take advantage of such and encourage the youth to follow suit. 

“We have to invest in ourselves and accelerate progress, as the International Women’s Day theme stated, ‘Invest in women: Accelerate progress’.Bangwaketse’s Senior Chief’s Representative, Kgosi Kwelagobe Mookodi, advised women to work tirelessly to ensure that they feed the nation, as well as supporting their husbands in attainment of national food security. 

He also urged men to take good care of their families, noting that women go through various challenges in life. Kgosi Mookodi highlighted the need for mothers to ensure that they raise disciplined and responsible children, who know the difference between right and wrong. 

Queens, queen mothers and representatives of the different tribes from around Botswana, as well as from neighbouring countries such as South Africa and Zimbabwe, graced the event. 

Different presentations were made as well as discussion on how to include women and the girl-child in agriculture. The event was organised by Gangwaketse bogosi through Queen Gaseitsiwe in partnership with Lamp Serge ENDS