Benefiting an Entire Community

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is providing technical and financial support to the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM) through the “Support to the Implementation of the Cubango-Okavango River Basin Strategic Action Programme". A key component of this two-year project is the demonstration of environmentally conscious livelihoods and socio-economic development projects in the Basin. These selected demonstration projects advocate for the uplifting of the livelihoods of Basin communities through harnessing natural resources with minimum adverse impacts to the environment and enhanced protection of the ecosystem. One of these projects is in partnership with the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security (MADFS) of Botswana and is the implementation of the Horticulture Demonstration Projects within the vicinity of Maun and Shakawe in Botswana. Seven farmers have been supported through this intervention and here are their stories on the progress made thus far:

Chatiwa Gaekgotswe bends down to examine a leafy head of lettuce, as her two year-old son trails happily behind her in the deep ridges of lettuce plantation. The mother of three along with her husband is the owner of Farm Fantacia which is nestled just outside of Maun on the road to Ghanzi.  A few years ago, Chatiwa was farming mainly with cabbage, maize and tomatoes in the open field farm of 6,4 hectares. Hard times hit with the onset of the harsh drought which saw water supply from the Thamalakane River drying up and general hardships for many local farmers. “We were really low, we had no finances and we were totally finished. The  river was dry and we had no means to drill our own well points.” she recalls. This project came at just the right time for us, because we were not coping.”

With the Ngamiland Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (NCONGO) as the implementing partner, selected farmers are assisted with the and installation of climate resilient agricultural  infrastructure to enable them to produce higher value crops all year to sustain market demand. Chatiwa being one of the selected farmers, was assisted with a  25 by 25 shade-net,  the digging of 12 well points and a 10,000 litre water tank with a stand  were installed to ensure a supply of water for her crops. Fanuel Otukile is the Horticulture Mentor from NCONGO who has been working with Chatiwa and six other demonstration farmers since February 2019 throughout the Maun area. Through the mentorship arrangement he provides day to day technical guidance in close collaboration with the local Extension Officers from the MADFS.

“Farmers have been introduced to the concept of maximising yield per square meter for their land and we demonstrate this by showing that there is no need to cultivate the entire field. We also illustrated that the shade-net which is key for optimum temperature control for crops. They are also shown that it is best to use organic fertilisers such as manure, which is usually readily available in kraals and can be sourced from local surroundings” he explains.

The technical support includes soil sampling to guide appropriate fertigation, selection of most marketable crops and engaging with local fresh produce retailers and  the training of farmers to maintain the set up. With an aim to ensure that farmers can actually remain in the market and with a consistent supply of produce all year round, Fanuel explains that “For a farmer like Chatiwa, we introduced her to a high yield crop such as lettuce, she was also trained on how to carry out seed scheduling  which allows farmers to transplant using a cycle. It was also important to make ridges which ensure higher water holding capacity and reduce the need to irrigate constantly.” The project has introduced Chatiwa to climate smart farming techniques, which she commends saying,  “We use a new strategy with the ridges. In the past, we used to plant in a flood seed beds, but now with the ridges, you can see it holds water for longer, our lettuce still remains fresh even without watering for a few days  because of the ridges.”

New Methods and New Dreams

Chatiwa now maintains a steady harvest of 250 lettuce heads per week and also re-plants the same quantity of seedlings in a detailed cropping cycle. With local fresh produce retailers in Maun making weekly orders, she is now one of the main local suppliers of fresh lettuce for the market. She also sells to local vendors who resell on the open market. The profit from all these sales has empowered her to expand on her own.

“The shade-nets really helped us, as we manged to buy the second one ourselves because we want to grow more lettuce. This is so that we expand the shade-nets and buy more gum poles for the whole farm. We want to grow bigger, to supply lettuce to the whole of Maun and even Gaborone. We really do not want to see lettuce coming from South Africa.” She says. On the impact of farming on her livelihood, Chatiwa says that “Farming is good, it has changed our lives. When I reflect on my background, I didn’t finish form five, but I can say I have done better than those who have gone further with education. Even if I suffer today, I know that there is money coming in from my produce tomorrow.”

Managing Water Resources

Since the recent revival of the Thamalakane River, the well points have submerged due to increased waterflow, and this has brought an even easier method of getting water. Chatiwa is now able to tap directly from the river source and says that , “It is a blessing that we can make use of water from the River, so we try our best to make sure that the surroundings of the pump house at the river bank is clean. When we go there we make sure to pick up any rubbish, tins and papers. We have a good relationship  with the people who live along the pump house, so when they see us cleaning up they join in. Even when cows die along the riverbank they help  remove the carcass” she says. Her role as an advocate for a cleaner and environment have earned her the respect of the community, who happily join her on occasional clean up campaigns along the banks of the Thamalakane River.

Teaching the Community

Farm Fantacia is not only a farming success story for Chatiwa and her family, but has become an important learning centre for members of the community, who come to seek assistance from her.  “The community loves our farming project, we used to invite children from Thuso Rehabilitation Centre to come and visit us here. We also have a request from Shakawe for 15 women to come here to learn about what we are doing and so that we can teach them.’  Says Chatiwa, who has also helped four people from her community to start their own backyard gardens. Earlier this year Chatiwa together with some community members managed to put up an additional stand pipe and water tank which is now a source of fresh water supply to more people from around her village.  “The project which was to benefit one person has benefited more than 200 people in this community. They didn’t have clean water, but now they can access water from the tanks and we are very happy about this.” She smiles.