01 Apr 2026

The National Agriculture Draft Policy 2025 is set to charter a new era for Botswana’s agriculture, one defined by innovation, resilience and value creation.

 The policy positions the sector as a primary driver of economic diversification, food security and export growth. 

Presenting the draft policy in Parliament on Monday, acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti, highlighted that the new framework aimed to transform the country’s agricultural industry into a diversified, resilient and export-oriented sector that drove national economic growth. 

Dr Dikoloti stated that the policy affirmed a paradigm shift from food security to food sovereignty and further reinforced Botswana’s commitment to a market-oriented and export-led agricultural sector by aligning with national priorities as well as regional and international standards. 

“Rooted in the principles of environmental stewardship, the right to food and nutrition, stakeholder engagement, social inclusivity and evidence-based decision-making, the policy embraces innovation, promotes agri-entrepreneurship and reinforces the central role of farmers and agribusinesses in the economic transformation,” Dr. Dikoloti said. 

The minister indicated that the policy provided a clear roadmap for transformation through coordinated efforts between government, private sector, farmers, communities and development partners. 

Furthermore, he noted that the policy placed strong emphasis on technology adoption, research and development and capacity building, particularly targeting youth, women and marginalised groups.  He added that the policy also aimed to promote commercialisation and diversification of agriculture, anchored on the development of key agricultural value chains. “The sector is prioritising dairy, livestock and crop production, as well as horticulture, apiculture, aquaculture and fodder production,” he said.

 Dr Dikoloti further said the sector would also promote high-value niche commodities such as cannabis, cotton, safflower and moringa, alongside other products with high export potential.

 Such initiatives, he said, were designed to position agriculture as a competitive and sustainable contributor to Botswana’s GDP and a catalyst for employment creation.

 Again, he said in line with government’s commitment to industrialisation, the sector would continue to promote value addition and agro-processing through private-sector-led investments. “This approach seeks to transform agricultural outputs into high-value products, thereby creating employment, supporting rural industries and increasing export competitiveness,” he said. Regarding agricultural digitisation, Dr Dikoloti stated that the sector was advancing digital transformation through investment in enabling technologies, automation of land delivery and agricultural processes, ICT infrastructure upgrades and capacity-building in digital literacy. 

“This shift is expected to enhance service delivery and digitise data, improving transparency, traceability and efficiency across the sector.

 To boost productivity, strategic investments are also being made in infrastructure, including access routes to production areas, storage facilities, laboratories, testing centers and transport networks,” he said. 

In response to climate change, Dr Dikoloti stated that the strategy promoted sustainable, climate-smart practices such as conservation agriculture, agro-ecological production, integrated crop-livestock systems and agroforestry.

 “The sector supports the use of drought-tolerant crops, resilient livestock breeds, organic fertilisers, rangeland management and modern technologies like precision farming, soil moisture sensors and drone monitoring,” he said. 

Conversely, he said the agricultural transformation agenda focused on significantly increasing the national cattle population. Dr Dikoloti cited that the baseline herd in 2024 stood at 1.6 million cattle, with a target to grow it to 4.6 million by 2029/2030 to mark substantial recovery and expansion of the national herd. ENDS