Alec Makgekgenene; Leonard Baleseng; Sirak Bahta; E.
Molemogi; E. Metlhaleng and Ben Lukuyu
Introduction

 Agriculture sector in Botswana entails crops and
livestock production.
 Beef cattle are predominantly kept under communal
and commercial system.
 Cattle population stands at 2.2 million (statistics
Botswana, 2012)
 Communal system accounts for 80% of the national
cattle herd (Norris et al., 2002).
 In both systems over 90% of feed supplies come from
rangelands (Malope et al., 2007).
 FEAST was done in 19 extension in Botswana to
assess local feed resource availabilty
Production systems in study
sites

Study site
Typical production
system
MOCHUDI
Mixed crop and livestock
production
MOLEPOLOLE
JWANENG
TSABONG
GHANZI
HUKUNTSI
KANG
Mixed crop and livestock
production
Mainly pastoral livestock
production with some
arable crop farming
Mainly pastoral livestock
production with some
arable crop farming
Mainly pastoral livestock
production.
Mainly pastoral livestock
production.
Mainly pastoral livestock
production.
Mean land size (ha)
Mean household size
(No.)
5
5
10
6
16
5
6
5
4,900
8
6
6
6
7
Proportion of HH by
farmer category
Mixed crop livestock
systems
Mainly pastoral systems
90
% of households that fall into the
category
% of households that fall into the category
100

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Landless
Small farmer
Medium
farmer
Large farmer
0
Up to 4
4to 16
More than
25
10
0
Landless
0
Small farmer Medium farmer Large farmer
up to 9
10 to 15
Range of land size in hectar
more than 15
Range of land size in hectar
Average livestock holdings per
household - dominant species (TLU)

Mixed crop livestock
systems
Mainly pastoral systems
180.00
180.00
160.00
160.00
140.00
140.00
120.00
120.00
100.00
100.00
80.00
80.00
60.00
60.00
40.00
40.00
20.00
20.00
0.00
Improved
Beef cattle
0.00
Goats
Improved Improved Local Beef
Beef cattle Buffalo
cattle
Sheep
Goats
Fattening
and
draught
cattle
Horse
Fattening
and
draught
buffalo
Feeding systems
District
Type of feeding system
JWANENG
(Pastoral)
Livestock graze on natural pastures during the day and are kraaled at
night. Supplementary feeding offered periodically as pastures
deteriorate.
GHANZI
Pastoral)
Cattle and goats are kraaled during the day and released to graze at
night on natural pastures. Kraaling during the day allows farmers to
treat sick animals and do routine managerial practices.
HUKUNTSI
(Pastoral)
Cattle are usually released to graze on designated rangelands during
the day and kraaled at night. Some farmers supplement cattle diets
with Acacia tree pods and indigenous browse plants during the dry
season.
MOCHUDI
(Mixed crop)
Grazing on communal lands. Animals are periodically given
supplementary feeds mostly during the dry season. Silage is
sometimes offered to cattle for feeding especially by large scale
farmers.
MOLEPOLOLE
(Mixed crop)

Livestock (cattle, goats and sheep) is usually released to graze on
natural pastures during the day and kraaled at night. Animal are
supplemented with crop residues mixed with concentrates during the
Average area (ha) per HH
of dominant arable crops

Mainly pastoral systems
4.00
4.00
3.50
3.50
Average area per household (hectares
Average area per household (hectares
Mixed crop livestock
systems
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
Maize (Zea mays)
Cabbage (Brassica
oleracea)
Pumpkin
(Cucurbita
maxima)
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
Maize (Zea mays)
Watermelon (Citrullus
lanatus)
Inputs and services in mixedcrop livestock systems

 Veterinary services are commonly offered by Government.
Occasionally they fail to offer services due to lack of transportation.
 Livestock drugs are easily accessible to farmers in local retail
outlets.
 The government owned AI camps are implementing a quota
system of insemination which limits the use by farmers who have
large herds. Farmers who want the quota for cattle insemination
per farmer to be increased.
 Access to credit is difficult for elderly farmers of over 50 years old.
However, the youths are given priority to access loans due a
government policy empower the youth economically.
 There is shortage of labour despite competitive wages that includes
a monthly supply of groceries. Most labourers prefer part-time
jobs.
Quantity of feed purchased
over a 12mth period

Mixed crop livestock
systems
Sugarcane molasses
block
2%
SALT
COARSE
block
1%
Wheat
(Triticum
aestivum) bran
14%
Sugarcane
(Saccharum
officinarum)
- molasses
1%
Commericall
y mixed
ration
18%
Drought
Pellets
19%
Lucerne
(Medicago
sativa) - hay
20%
SALT
COARSE
sodium
chloride
8%
Sugarcane molassesme
al
7%
BEEF
FINISHER
3%
Diculcium
Phosphate
7%
Mainly pastoral systems
Lucerne
(Medicago
sativa) - hay
1%
Sugarcane
(Saccharum
officinarum)
- molasses
7%
Wheat
(Triticum
aestivum) bran
35%
Commericall
y mixed
ration
14%
Sodium
Chloride
(salt)
34%
Phosphorus
dicalcium
9%
Dietary composition in
mixed crop systems

ME content of total diet
Purchased
1%
Cultivated
fodder
17%
Naturally
occurring
and
collected
22%
DM content of total
diet Crop
Naturally
occurring
and
collected
21%
Purchase
d
1%
Grazing
57%
residues
Cultivate
6%
d fodder
15%
Crop
residues
5%
Grazing
55%
Purchase
CP content
of total diet
Naturally
occurring
and
collected
23%
d
1%
Crop
residues
7%
Cultivate
d fodder
22%
Grazing
47%
Dietary composition in pastoral
systems
Naturally
occurring
and
collected
4%
ME content
of total diet
Purchased

5%
Crop
residues
13%
Cultivated
fodder
0%
Grazing
78%
Naturally
occurring
and
collected
3%
DM content of total diet
Purchased
8%
Crop
residues
13%
Grazing
76%
Cultivated
fodder
0%
Naturally
occurring
and
collected
4%
CP content of total diet
Purchased
10%
Crop
residues
12%
Cultivated
fodder
0%
Grazing
74%
Available Feed Resources

Mainly pastoral systems
60
6
70
6
50
5
60
5
40
4
30
3
20
2
10
1
10
1
0
0
0
0
Availablity
Availablity
Mixed crop livestock
systems
50
4
40
3
30
2
20
Concentrates
Crop residues
Concentrates
Crop residues
Grazing
Green forage
Grazing
Green forage
Legume residues
Others
Legume residues
Others
Rainfall Pattern
Rainfall Pattern
Study site
JWANENG
GHANZI
HUKUNTSI
Major Livestock Constraints
(In order of importance)
1
2
3
4
Unavailability of
Livestock
Water shortage Low meat prices
supplementary
disease
feeds
Inaccessibility to
Lack of
Labour
markets and
Low meat prices
machinery and
shortages
high costs of
skills to operate
transport
Low market
Poor quality
Insufficient
Livestock
price for cattle
(salty) water
grazing areas
diseases
at BMC

TSABONG
Overgrazed
communal
grazing areas
Poor quality
(salty) water
Long distance to Livestock
Markets
predators
MOCHUDI
Water shortage
Insufficient
feeds
Stock theft
Labour
Shortages
KANG
Livestock theft
MOLEPOLOLE
Overgrazed
pastures5.
Livestock
predators
Lack of feed
processing
machinery
Livestock
diseases
Bush problem
on uncultivated
land
Low prices for
cattle at BMC
Lack of market
for crop
residues
5
Poor quality
grazing pastures
Lack of artificial
insemination
service
Livestock
predators
Erratic
availability of
livestock feeds
in retail shops
Frequent
disease
outbreaks
High feed costs
Unskilled labour
in farms
Potential intervention

 Develop strategies to improve natural pastures
 Develop strategies to enhance utilization of crop
residues and other local feed resources
 Develop strategies to enhance access to and the
water quality
 Catalyze linkages amongst actors to improve
availability of livestock feeds and feeding inputs in
retail shops
The End

 THANK YOU