A RETURN TO THE LAND

….what government needs to do for people to produce food

To prove that government is not paying lip service to poverty eradication, and that indeed, these noble objectives are designed less for populist politics but genuine desire to attain self-sufficiency in food production, development policies and programmes must be networked. Batswana are traditionally and culturally, subsistence farmers and have livelihoods that are intrinsically linked to the tilling of the soil and the growing of crops. The Pula slogan of ubiquitous blessings, embracing peace wishes, rain, abundance, money, conflict resolution and so on, are about growth and making a living out of the soil.

Botswana, the semi-arid southern African country, has a citizenry that can hold perennial and animated conversations on rain and rain-fed crop farming, livestock and drinking water. The passion for rain has not been exhausted by mutating social characteristics of new generations and urban development. To the common Motswana (Botswana citizen) all roads must lead to the farming areas, where every season, it is the responsible attribute to plough and plant, so that in the later months towards winter, the nation harvests and feasts on its produce.

Thousands of Batswana have lost money trying to invest in borehole drilling, crop and stock farming largely because water is the quintessence of their passion for development- farming. When harvest comes and the rainfall season reaches the dry plains of this peaceful land, all major forms of food production related activities ground to a halt. Even though the winter seasons are not so severe as to prevent farming and lucrative growth of crops, without rain (which generally comes only in the last two months and first two months of each year), there can be no farming. Few have yielding boreholes.

Despite this potential might of the people to produce food for themselves, and in spite of pronouncements of development programmes intended to encourage food production, the government has not networked such programmes to the passions of the people. Huge amounts of taxpayers resources are channeled towards projects that have little sustenance impact on the farming habits and patterns of this proud nation.

One of the glaring tragedies of the inconsistencies of development programmes, is the lack of infrastructure activities related to farming communities; government policy basically prohibits extension of electricity power supply to farms; there is no government scheme that assists in the drilling of boreholes despite evidence of sufficient underground waters to water vast areas of land; despite a huge food import bill the government faces each year, little is done to harvest the crops of subsistence farmers whom in most cases even lack the capacity to harvest all that they have planted. Unprocessed food goes to waste. This is the food that could be feeding the poor instead of handouts of food hampers given through government purchases from the few rich farmers or imported food stuff.

This population of just over two million people in a land surface the size of the territory of France can attain windfall harvests every year or even throughout the year if:

-          Government extended resources such as electricity supply to farmers in order to encourage residence in the farms and various farming activities that are enhanced by the use of electricity driven equipment;

-          Storage facilities reminiscent of the colonial era and the pre-colonial tribal era where subsistence farmers were assisted to harvest and store food for leaner years. In today’s advanced governance and affordability, government could purchase the harvest directly from subsistence farmers. This is the food for the hampers later- not imported food or food bought for the further enrichment of the rich.

-          Where possible, domestic water supply provided by water utilities should be extended to farming communities to encourage residence, which in turn encourages ploughing (farming). Increased rural or farm residential activity would create employment, provide permanent and regular sources of food, reduce urban congestion with its burdens on the infrastructure- not to mention societal ills such as crime.

-          Campaigns of ‘a return to the land’ nature should be launched in order to encourage the above.

-          The expensive and least productive part-time farming (more of a hobby currently) would lessen and greater farming activities would thrive.

This is my contribution to food production; I am in it. I am in the position to know the pain and the joy.

Andrew Sesinyi