Pabalelo Trust, situated amongst the communities it serves on the western Okavango Panhandle, follows the approach of promoting local community based subsistence farming through organizing, training, and empowering farmers in sustainable agriculture techniques for higher yields, soil health and water-wise methods of cultivation. The vision of Pabalelo Trust, as reflected in its name (?protection?), has always included empowering communities to manage and understand their impact on conservation of the threatened Okavango ecosystem. For the past two years especially, Pabalelo widened its approach to find means of helping Okavango small farmers cope with surviving climate change, the effect of which is ever-diminishing crop yields due to human-wildlife conflict and higher temperatures, and unpredictable rainfall patterns, resulting in a livelihoods crisis. As part of our promotion of climate-smart agriculture, we are now proposing the commercializing of veld products as a sustainable, ecofriendly agricultural mitigation to climate change, relevant to both the OP 7 initiatives of a) Community-based conservation and ecosystems as well as b) Sustainable agriculture and fisheries, and food security.

Where in prior years we focused on training and demonstration of conservation agriculture, we now also help to organize farmers into more resilient units, so that they can jointly face their challenges and adapt to current realities. Our recent veld products pilot project (funded by the UNDP implemented Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme - GEF/SGP), established great potential to diversify livelihood options by processing as well as cultivating some veld products from the Okavango Panhandle region, but also opened the door for enhancing the utilization of indigenous knowledge and traditional knowledge for food security. This pilot investigated options for alternative crops for smallholders that would be less susceptible to all above-mentioned climatic and other factors. Through practical trials, a literature review, and community surveys, we were able to narrow down a list of veld products that could provide significant additional income to Okavango communities. However, another phase of trials and further research is crucial, to guide not only the development of an alternative crop but ensure access to an accessible and secure market. To effectively research, there is need for more infrastructure, such as to enlarge and further furnish our current trial and storage space and install sufficient solar power to operate the processing equipment by which further trials need to be undertaken. Further consultation is also needed, with stakeholders and other actors in and outside the country, but most importantly, to ensure buy-in and collaboration of the communities.