Bio-based technologies should be embraced by all small-scale farmers in Botswana to assist them to deal with the expected water shortages of climate change.
This is the view Mr Stephen Pillar, the chairperson and founding member of Totuma Arable Commercial Farmers Association who attended the BioEconomy Conference in Kenya on behalf of DIVAGRI from the 23 to 24 October 2024. Mr Pillar, formed part of a DIVAGRI team of workshop presenters who answered the question: Will small scale farmers in Africa be active in the circular bio economy by 2044?
Mr Pillar is a medium-sized farmer who has been actively involved in farming for more than 18 years and was selected by National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI) in Botswana to trial intercropping, biochar and biogas production on his farm near Francistown.
At 59 years old, he says the older generation of farmers are often reluctant to embrace change and tend to stick to what they know. While indigenous knowledge is useful, there is also a need to learn from the new technologies emerging in the bioeconomy.
Reflecting on his experience at the conference, he says: “It has opened my eyes up to new agricultural possibilities. “More farmers should attend events like these”. While at the conference, Mr Pillar who is also a livestock farmer learned that mixing bio-char with cow manure greatly improves the productivity of the soil. “It never occurred to me that mixing the two was helpful, I will definitely try this back home.”
The biotechnology technique of intercropping is another DIVAGRI biotechnology practiced on his farm. By combining lablab with maize production, he is improving soil health through nitrogen fixing. Moreover, the lablab is also improving pest management in maize production.
Mr Pillar is concerned about the growing impact of climate change on farming in Botswana. The country has already suffered from unpredictable rainfall as well as conflict between humans and wildlife over the limited water resources.
“When water dries up in the wildlife areas, the elephants break farmer’s fencing even killing people to get to the water resources,” he says. To address the human/wildlife conflict in Botswana, he suggests the adoption of drip irrigation like the SLECI, rainwater harvesting, the drilling of boreholes and the planting of drought-resistant crop varieties.
Soils are generally of a poor quality in Botswana, he says. This could be addressed through the burning of crop residues in the biochar kiln and producing biochar that could be put in the soil. Another use for crop residues is for stock feed for cattle or other livestock.
He says one of the ways of accelerating the bio-economy in Botswana is through the development of government policies that promote the circular bio-economy. “The Botswana government is very supportive of farmers. There are many subsidies. We must just make specific subsidies for biotechnology so that farmers are encouraged to use them.”
To create awareness of how biotechnologies can help, farmers need to be given demonstrations of the bio-based solutions. These real- life demonstrations will motivate them to change their farming techniques. As will the setting up of bio-based industries in Botswana that make use of the farmer’s raw materials.