Farmers Grilled on Good Livestock Management Practices

On Tuesday the 15^th of November 2022, 60 farmers from Lorwana-Digawana Village and surrounding areas in Southern District gathered at Big Valley Game Lodge outside Lobatse to attend a 3-day workshop on good livestock management practices. 

The event was organised by officials from the Department of Veterinary Services in the Ministry of Agriculture and the Technical Assistance Team from the EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Implementation Support Programme in Botswana.

The Deputy Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Kabo Thema officially opened the workshop and the District Agricultural Coordinator – Southern District, Ms. Monia Mfolwe also addressed participants during the Official Opening.

Dr Thema thanked the EU-SADC EPA Support Programme for funding the workshop and informed the attendants that the event was an illustration of the national change-of-mindset objectives championed by the government.

“I sincerely hope that you will alert your fellow farmers who couldn’t make it here, that it is time to activate necessary changes to your farming practices, inspired by the insights that we will unpack this week. The end goals of this process are to educate farmers about correct use of medication for livestock and also to empower farmers to set systems in place that will contribute to profitable farming. We are grateful to all farmers and their associations present for attending this event. It is worth noting that this workshop precedes the commemoration of the World Antimicrobial Week which begins on the 18^th of this month,” remarked the Deputy Director.

The objectives of the workshop are to impart good livestock management and animal welfare practices as well as the safe use of antimicrobials in animals by farmers.  According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH); good livestock management practices provide safe standards for feeding, health care, prevention & treatment of disease, the assurance of welfare freedoms for animals as well as avoidance of cruelty, maltreatment or neglect to animals.

These interventions contribute to an improvement in the quality and safety of beef produced by farmers for the local and export markets. One of the facilitators of the workshop is Dr Alec Bishi, a livestock specialist under the Technical Assistance Team.

“It is good to note that the farmers are also being empowered to prevent and detect animal diseases including Foot-and-Mouth Disease as well as ensuring animal identification and traceability in Botswana,” noted Dr Bishi.

The farmer’s workshop was consistent with objectives of the EU-SADC EPA Implementation Support Programme, specifically with respect to increased diversified export of non-mining products to EU and regional markets Click To Tweet

The objectives of the EU-SADC EPA also include enhancing enterprise and product competitiveness along selected value chains, with a potential to strengthen women’s economic empowerment.

The EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement was signed in 2016, with 6 SADC signatories and a seventh one in 2020. When fully implemented, the EPA will facilitate the strengthening of regional supply chains and the creation of a sustainable, competitive, export-oriented economy in Botswana.