Project Detail

Monoga Syndicate Water Reticulation for Rehabilitation of Degraded Rangeland

The Monoga Borehole Syndicate has 25 members who individually keep between 10 and 150 livestock units and altogether number around 1000. All these animals congregate at one point for watering rendering a large area surrounding the borehole completely degraded. Furthermore, animals do not use all the communal rangeland efficiently as they tend to overgraze those areas proximal to the water source and under utilize those further from water sources. The syndicate purchased and renovated a 50,000 gallon water tank from Botswana Railways. The group has managed to obtain Botswana Government assistance to reticulate water to individual kraals (1-3 km away from the borehole) as a strategy to reduce congestion at the watering site and allow the surrounding area to be reclaimed or restored. The assistance did not however include a fence around the tank, a roof on top of the tank, a water metering gauge and the labour cost for the digging of the trenches. These are required in order to make the watering system completely effective. The fence will secure the area in the vicinity of the tank, the roof will enable the water to be consumable by people at the individual kraals, the gauge will facilitate the pumping as water is used at the homesteads or kraals whilst the labour is required to speed the excavation of trenches for the pipes.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Monoga Borehole Syndicate Management Committee

Country:

Botswana

Area Of Work:

Land Degradation

Operational Phase:

Phase 4

Grant Amount:

US$ 7,169.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 16,406.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 16,933.00

Project Number:

BOT/SGP/OP4/CORE/08/15

Start Date:

11/2008

End Date:

11/2009

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Capacity - Building Component

A project such as this one empowers the entire membership through the management committee to become good managers and therefore become less dependent on government handouts.

Gender Focus

As of now, women are already an integral part of management and syndicate activities with the posts of Vice chairperson, Vice secretary and Auditor already occupied by women. A substantial number of meetings are attended by women with or in the absence of their spouses.

Policy Influence

Government policy on future subsidies into livestock management in communal areas will benefit from this initiative since other syndicates may copy this model and so approach government for possible assistance. The Livestock Management and Infrastructural Development (LIMID) program which is currently being reviewed may benefit from this project. The provision of water for individual farmers may become part of LIMID. The land allocation policy of a limited radius around boreholes may also be reviewed as this practice promotes land degradation around boreholes.

Policy Impact

Government policy on future subsidies into livestock management in communal areas will benefit from this initiative.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

Improved range and herd management will lead to improved incomes from a well managed livestock enterprises.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

It is envisaged that when successful, Monoga syndicate will become a model through which the ministry of Agriculture will use to get other syndicates to change their water management systems. This has the potential to revolutionize livestock watering management and thereby reclaim degraded rangelands near watering points.

Replication of project activities

No, the project activities were distinctive and once each and every syndicate member connects their kraal to the pipe network, then the network has to be maintained and the reservoir cleaned every year.

Notable Community Participation

The entire membership of the syndicate is 25. This may easily translate into a community of about 250 beneficiaries who are associated with the syndicate considering the extended family system predominant in Botswana. In addition to the membership there are about 10 livestock owners who are renting water for their own livestock. This represents an additional 50 to 100 beneficiaries of the syndicate. The syndicate therefore provides a substantial number of people with their livelihood.

Project sustainability

The project does not need support to keep it running, the management committee will still collect maintenance fees from members to continue looking after the borehole and related operations.

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

The syndicate already has an auditor in the committee who is charged with cross checking the use of resources. She has access to the treasurer’s books. A good record of all expenditure and income is maintained and all the receipts are available for scrutiny.

Planning non gef grant

The syndicate will continuously look at ways in which operational efficiencies may be improved to keep the syndicate moving ahead by learning from governmental and non-governmental initiatives.

Linkages gef projects

There are no linkages currently, but any lessons from other GEF projects will be appreciated. The syndicate will receive any beneficiaries of GEF funding to visit and share notes on how environmental issues may be tackled.

Planning gef grant

There are plans to request for a top-up (proposal already submitted). The top-up is to workshop syndicate members on how best to use water and range resources in the area. There is also a drift fence which the syndicate is constructing to keep livestock from other boreholes from accessing the Monoga borehole area. In order to complete this fence, some assistance is required.

Project Results

Describe to what extent the objectives of the Agreement were accomplished:

The objectives of the agreement were fully accomplished. The intention was to reticulate water to member kraals, to facilitate livestock movement away from the borehole area. This was meant to allow the degraded rangeland around the borehole to be rehabilitated. Already 10 of the 25 members are watering their livestock at their kraals. The pressure of grazing at the borehole site has therefore been greatly reduced. The remaining 15 members are in the process of acquiring small reservoirs and troughs to complete the reticulation.

Describe the immediate benefits received by the participants and/or the recipient communities:

Livestock are being watered at the kraals and this has improved herd management immensely since, livestock return to their kraals each evening. Members are also now accessing water both for drinking and domestic use within their yards i.e. not having to walk 1-2 km to fetch it.

Describe long-term benefits:

The long term benefits are really that both livestock management and productivity in the herd is going to improve. If that occurred, some contribution albeit small to the national food production will be achieved. The members will in turn realize some financial returns when they sell their well managed livestock.

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