the monitor

Agriculture sector’s downtrend continues

Trying times: The El Nino phenomenon is expected to return this year, drying up the rain season and raising the occurrence of heat waves
Trying times: The El Nino phenomenon is expected to return this year, drying up the rain season and raising the occurrence of heat waves

Worries are mounting as Botswana’s agricultural sector continues to be buffeted by year in and year out crop and livestock failure rates, limiting its contribution to the economy.

Between its prime years as the country’s central economic activity, the contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has dropped from 40% in 1966 to just three percent last year.

GDP is a widely used measure of economic output and activity. While government has mounted sterling efforts to resuscitate the sector, these have been met with growing climate challenges.

Editor's Comment
Mob justice isn't just

A young man suspected of breaking into a car was seized by residents, severely assaulted, and died in the hospital within an hour. We unreservedly condemn this mob justice. It is not a solution to crime, but a criminal offence that turns citizens into murderers.Residents are understandably angry about theft. The person who raised the alarm at 4am acted lawfully, and the neighbours who rushed to help showed community spirit. But what followed was...

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