By Oscar Nkala ,Botswana
The Botswana government has called on crop farmers to adopt new agricultural technologies and farming techniques in order to boost food production.
Addressing participants at a tractor operator training field day at a government-run demonstration farm outside Gaborone this week, Agricultural Development and Food Security minister Patrick Ralotsia said farmers should utilise new technologies and techniques to improve productivity.
“By utilising some of the proven modern farming techniques and science-based solutions that are readily available, farmers can increase productivity, efficiency, and profitability while reducing malnutrition and enhancing food security,” he said.
He said the government would be supporting farmers who showed the passion for, and a dedication to agriculture. Further, he urged farmers to abandon the practice of total reliance on reliance on rain-fed agriculture and turn to irrigation.
The minister said farmers who have large tracts of land lying idle should either utilize it or rent out to farmers with a passion for agriculture. The government, he said, was concerned about the under-utilisation of vast tracts of fertile land in the country’s arable areas.
