Project Detail

Protect and Live;Subsistance communities as custodians of the Okavango Panhandle Botswana

Through the ?Subsistence Communities as Custodians of the Okavango Panhandle project Pabalelo Trust proposes a pilot project that would trial solutions for the difficulties, to establish a replicable and hope-giving model for government policy makers, subsistence farmers and stakeholders of conservation of this pristine and biodiverse World Heritage Site. The ecologically sound methods for food production promoted through CA (which includes organic, water wise backyard vegetable gardening) have been adopted all across Africa to counter lack of rural food security, therefore mitigation is proposed by a few infrastructural changes coupled with a two-year practical and theoretical training programme for both youth and elder farmers. Such a project would inspire small farmers to be be resilient custodians of their heritage but would also help heal social deterioration and inter-generational divisions.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Pabalelo Trust

Country:

Botswana

Area Of Work:

Climate Change Mitigation

Operational Phase:

OP6 - Y5 (Jul 19-Jun 20)

Grant Amount:

US$ 50,000.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 43,782.83

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 10,507.88

Project Number:

BOT/SGP/OP6/Y5/CORE/CC/2020/18

Start Date:

8/2020

End Date:

9/2022

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

? Climate smart food production for rainfed as well as irrigated fields and gardens. Result is less poverty and more dignity, reduced socio-economic dependency on handouts, less impact on the environment and possibility for cash income improved. ? Sustainable natural resource opportunities piloted and developed to assist rural Panhandle communities to keep harvesting natural products but at the same time develop alternative sources that would diminish deforestation and other negative biodiversity impacts, as well as provide sustainable cash income.

Capacity - Building Component

Capacity building activity: To secure and develop a more suitable demonstration site/land in an area where there is less wild and domestic animal movement and is also visible to the rest of the community and strategic partners. This will improve farmers? chances for successful food production and improve the visibility of the organizations? work. Acquire affordable, sustainable and reliable energy To procure and install solar energy system to be used to pump and reticulate water in the cluster farm allowing farmers to grow crops and plants. The solar energy will also be used to power the electric fence around the cluster land so as to keep wild and domestic animals from destroying the farmers? crops. The availability of cheap and reliable energy will enable Pabalelo Trust to explore possibilities of processing and increasing the value of some of the farmers produce in the market. Training of farmers on food and veld products processing: The project will engage resource people in the natural resource industry to train Pabalelo Trust staff and project beneficiaries in processing some of the crop and veld products ensuring value addition and better prices for framers in the market. Borehole drilling: The capacity of farmers to produce more, try new methods of farming and other crops and plants has always been limited by the availability of reliable water supply. By developing a demonstration site next to the village and drilling a borehole, this will alleviate the challenges of water shortage for farmers and also illustrates water reticulation through solar energy as an alternative. In this way Pabalelo hopes to increase capacity and advocacy for change even to govt policy makers and service providers.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

Pabalelo uses village-based communication routes, especially the kgotla, to build awareness and to consult or recruit participation. We also build on our ?champions? (backyard gardeners and farmers trained earlier) to spread news in their wards and to their neighbours, when we need to ensure that more people are informed. In terms of outside awareness, the Pabalelo website (www.pabalelotrust.wixsite.com) as well as the facebook page (Pabalelo Trust) has generated considerable interest and communication, and links us with other forums for Conservation Agriculture, Permaculture and sustainable solutions. For this project we will continue along these paths, but also finalise our training curriculum and workbooks, to give a field-tested and home-grown manual to Botswana which is based on not only cultural perspectives and realities, but climate-appropriate innovations towards food security.

Gender Focus

The development of cluster land that is secured from dangerous wild animals would allow for more women to be involved in subsistence farming with some level of protection. The use of modern sustainable way of farming is less labour intensive allowing for women to fully participate and produce for their families while also allowing them to juggle other responsibilities bestowed to female households in rural Botswana. By involving elder women as mentors and demonstrators to youth in training we reinforce respect towards traditional knowledge and help close the discord that has developed between the generations during the past twenty years. By providing opportunities for women from Intake 2 to help determine those in need, as beneficiaries of solar lighting and biofuel stoves, we reestablish the social coherence in the community as youth and women become involved in a caring capacity serving their own community according to the age-old practice of ?botho?. To help men regain the possibility for food providers without having to find employment outside, we help men to support their families and regain a rightful position in the household, which rectifies the lack of connection many fathers have with their children. The fact that all these groups are trained about their impact on the environment and their importance in the preservation of their heritage, gives them significant advantage in conservation debates and lobby of being recognized as the original stewards of this pristine environment. That within itself helps restore unbalance due to strengthening leadership and dignity in what has become destitute and dependent communities.

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

The target communities of Pabalelo Trust can all be classified as vulnerable, as they belong to the rural, cultural and linguistic minorities of Botswana, which renders them marginalized in many ways. Pabalelo Trust staff members are from the communities were this project is implemented and use the local language for training and communication with project beneficiaries. Our field staff has intrinsic knowledge of the cultural systems as well as preconceived beliefs and ideas about practice and application of what we train on. This makes the training programme relevant and helps us monitor and interpret social and cultural cycles.

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

This pilot project will be supported and will feed into the final documentation stages of the Pabalelo curriculum for Conservation Agriculture/Permaculture as the only sustainable and responsible form of agriculture/food production that can be successfully implemented in this World Heritage Site. The theory will be documented, illustrated and made practical and accessible to the mostly illiterate or semi-literate communities, while the practical training will ensure knowledge is applied and tested and integrated into community consciousness. Photo documentation and the creation of a storyline to bring home the theory to a rural audience, will be part of knowledge documentation and be integrated into workbooks and posters people could own for future use and possible supporting resources for other training programmes, even schools.

Notable Community Participation

This project is specifically targeted at youth in rural and hard to reach areas. The project will identify 50 youth mostly from disadvantages households in the community of Samochima that comprise amongst others the san community as beneficiaries. Deliberate efforts will be made to identify households that have people with disabilities. Through theory and practical training, the youth are expected to take the lead in implementing new and sustainable ways of farming. The project will identify youth champions who will lead in the replication of the model to other communities within the Okavango Panhandle.

Policy Impact

Through the involvement and sharing of our approaches with stakeholders and strategic partners like the Department of Crop Production, we hope this project will have an indirect policy influence more especially for approaches that can benefit subsistence farmers in the Okavango Panhandle.

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