On Saturday the 15th of June 2019, farmers from Samane and surrounding areas in the Southern District participated in a workshop meeting facilitated by the CCB team at Moleleme cattle post. The meeting was also joined by members of the Southern Livestock Farmers Network (SOLIFANE) - established in 2016 by CCB with a mandate of allowing farmers access to valuable resources by promoting information dissemination and stronger collaboration with different stakeholders. The objective of the workshop was to share and learn from each others’ successes and challenges surrounding farming practices in Botswana; especially in the Southern part of the country from various experts in the field and role models. Botswana recently declared 2018/2019 a year of drought and it is crucial to learn and understand the potential challenges which drought brings, supplementary feeding and pasture/ rangeland management, disease outbreak expected during this period, opportunities that are available to benefit from in farming, as well as sharing motivation from farmers who are doing very well in the industry.
During the day, personnel from Mabutsane Department of Wildlife & National Parks (DWNP) shared insights on the challenges of human wildlife conflict in the area, while Samane veterinary office elaborated on animal health challenges and common diseases in the area, additionally signposting vaccination dates for the area. Jwaneng Department of Animal Protection (DAP) office gave a presentation on livestock management, CCB shared information on the LGD program, while the director of Techno Feeds, Mr. Rihan Swanepoel, shared a detailed presentation on pasture management and fodder production for maximised results during the drought season. Mr. Thebe Molefe, a youth motivator and young farmer from Lentsweletau in the Kweneng District, offered the day’s closing with a talk on sustainable farming practices, highlighting that for as long as farming is done right and with passion, one can never go wrong. Molefe encouraged youth of Samane to never give up and continue researching for innovative ideas to improve their farming skills.
The workshop was well attended by a diverse selection of over 50 participants - including farmers of all ages, those who are very successful and some upcoming young farmers; which provided space for interactive dialogue on a variety of topics and the future of farming. We felt encouraged to continue our work in promoting coexistence between farming communities and carnivores and hopefully this movement will lead to improvements in the quality of life for both cheetahs and farming communities. We would like to thank Techno Feeds for the support they tendered throughout and passion they have for young farmers in the Samane area. To the farmers as well, we encourage them to keep learning and keep improving their farming practices for they present a better future.
During the day, personnel from Mabutsane Department of Wildlife & National Parks (DWNP) shared insights on the challenges of human wildlife conflict in the area, while Samane veterinary office elaborated on animal health challenges and common diseases in the area, additionally signposting vaccination dates for the area. Jwaneng Department of Animal Protection (DAP) office gave a presentation on livestock management, CCB shared information on the LGD program, while the director of Techno Feeds, Mr. Rihan Swanepoel, shared a detailed presentation on pasture management and fodder production for maximised results during the drought season. Mr. Thebe Molefe, a youth motivator and young farmer from Lentsweletau in the Kweneng District, offered the day’s closing with a talk on sustainable farming practices, highlighting that for as long as farming is done right and with passion, one can never go wrong. Molefe encouraged youth of Samane to never give up and continue researching for innovative ideas to improve their farming skills.
The workshop was well attended by a diverse selection of over 50 participants - including farmers of all ages, those who are very successful and some upcoming young farmers; which provided space for interactive dialogue on a variety of topics and the future of farming. We felt encouraged to continue our work in promoting coexistence between farming communities and carnivores and hopefully this movement will lead to improvements in the quality of life for both cheetahs and farming communities. We would like to thank Techno Feeds for the support they tendered throughout and passion they have for young farmers in the Samane area. To the farmers as well, we encourage them to keep learning and keep improving their farming practices for they present a better future.
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