Africa Foundation and &Beyond are working with the Tsutsubega and Gogomoga communities (Maun, Botswana), through their Scaling Impact 2023 partnership. These communities are the situated on the edge of the Okavango Delta and are the nearest communities to the &Beyond Xaranna and Nxabega Lodges. The two communities have asked for help with developing their farming activities into viable enterprises. An initial survey has identified 10 community members who are established vegetable farmers, collectively farming over 50 ha’s and producing a wide range of vegetables. 7 farmers are female and 3 male. The crops they currently try to grow include rape, onions, sunflowers, cabbage, butternut, bananas, green pepper, tomatoes, beetroot, chomalia, lemons, guavas, spinach, potatoes, carrots (see maps showing distribution of homesteads, vegetable farms and boreholes). They are determined to become successful farmers and to earn a sustainable living in an environment where employment options are minimal. However, there have been four core barriers to achieving success in farming at a consistent level to generate income, namely:
Sustainable access to water for light irrigation purposes.
Protection of fields from Elephants during the dry season.
Consistent access to vegetable seedlings.
Consistent access to a market for the vegetables they grow.
Africa Foundation has been active in Botswana since 2014, anchored by the andBeyond concessions in the Okavango Delta and working alongside the andBeyond Botswana team to support rural communities close to the world-famous tourist hotspot of the Okavango Delta.
Our work in Botswana is specifically linked to the andBeyond Xaranna, Xudum and Sandibe concessions, and their concessions in Chobe and Savuti. Our community focus is currently on the Tsutsubega, Gogomoga and Sexaxa communities. These communities have limited access to infrastructure and education, which reduces their opportunities for employment and enterprise development. The households in these villages are reliant on subsistence farming and are under significant strain due to the drought conditions affecting their area, together with the impact of problem animals, notably elephants, that destroy crops during the dry season.
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