03 Sep 2024

Women are central to food production and food secutiy in Botswana, says Pastor Kesaitse Moleele of the Assemblies of God in Borolong.

Thus, she challenged women not be complacent and rely solely on divine intervention for their sustenance. 

She was speaking at a workshop themed, Women in Agriculture, organised by Women Ministries of the Assemblies of God Church in Gerald over the weekend.

Ms Moleele said God had bestowed upon them the power and potential to create their own wealth and success through agriculture, hence she urged them to recognise this divine gift and use it to improve their lives and that of family and community members. 

She said the agriculture sector still remained a significant source of livelihoods for Botswana’s population, especially those in rural areas. 

She explained that livestock accounted for the majority of income from agriculture as compared to crops. 

The most common animals reared, she said, were goats and cattle, followed by chickens. 

She said God originated agriculture right at the beginning and it remained the only source of food. 

Ms Moleele further said import restrictions had been protecting the domestic market, adding that the country was now self-sufficient for 60 per cent of required horticultural products. 

“Generally, women dominate smallscale horticulture production, while men engage in livestock production,” she added. 

She explained that the poultry sub-sector achieved national food self-sufficiency status by 2015, following two decades of growth. 

“An import ban on chicken meat led to increased production, but also led to the market being concentrated in the hands of a few large producers. Women are often responsible for small livestock and indigenous chickens,” she said, adding that women own chickens, as well as poultry holdings. 

She said, according to the Statistics Botswana 2020 report, on a small scale, 32 per cent-37 per cent of all poultry projects were owned by women in 2019.

She told the workshop that agriculture was a field of hard work as without putting in the work directly or indirectly, losses were encountered. 

“It needs somebody who does not just copy what others do but is wise enough to look out to fill the gaps in the market for better returns. It also needs a lot of patience between seed time and harvest time,” she added. 

“We need to grow the agricultural industry from subsistence to commercial in all areas where there is market availability,” she added. 

The objective of the workshop was to implore women to venture into agriculture and also to raise funds for the church’s activities. 

The workshop also saw the church donating sanitary towels and toilet paper to Tagala and Mahudiri primary schools. Ends