12 Aug 2026

Tsabong District is set to roll out a localised agricultural overhaul inspired by China’s poverty alleviation model, in efforts to lift rural communities through specialised farming, desert technology and green energy investments.

Returning from a two-week benchmarking seminar in Wuhan, Tsabong District Council chairperson, Mr Elias Motlhanke said in an interview that transforming the district relied on three core pillars, including dedicated community specialisation, targeted youth involvement and strong public-private collaboration.

Mr Motlhanke said to implement such vision, they proposed adapting the Chinese ‘One Village, One Product’ strategy across local communities. 

Under the model, he explained that a village like Tsabong could focus exclusively on bean production, while Logaganeng could leverage its natural spring to supply fresh vegetables to the broader district. 

He added that focusing on regional strengths would allow government to deliver tailored support, establish efficient supply chains and build deep local expertise.

He further said to overcome harsh regional weather, they were looking to deploy high-tech desert agriculture, including greenhousing, drought-tolerant crop species and small-animal farming such as piggery and poultry. 

Beyond core agriculture, he highlighted several key investment opportunities to international partners during his visit, including Sengaparile (Devil’s Claw) pharmaceutical processing, leather and textile manufacturing linked to local abattoirs, solar energy expansion and an upgraded local airport to boost tourism surrounding the Kgalagadi Trans-frontier Park.

Central to the transformation were young people, whom Mr Motlhanke viewed as primary drivers of technology integration, product branding and market creation. 

By reversing urban youth migration and providing specialised training through facilities like Lobu Farm alongside university partnerships, he believed that the district can build a modern and sustainable agrarian economy.

He also emphasised that lasting poverty alleviation ultimately required a ‘willing government and willing client’ model where communities led from the ground up. 

He indicated that plans were currently underway to hold leadership workshops to cascade lessons to all local councillors.

Meanwhile, Mr Motlhanke attended the Seminar on Rural Poverty Alleviation and Development for Botswana in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, from July 2 to 15. 

The programme was organised by the Hubei Vocational College of Bio-Technology and sponsored jointly by the Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs and the Chinese Embassy. 

Reflecting on the trip, he noted that China shared structural similarities with Botswana, balancing heavily populated urban hubs with vast, arid and sparsely populated agricultural zones, a nation that successfully lifted roughly 98 million rural citizens out of extreme poverty between 2000 and 2020. ends