The Food Agricultural Organisation (FAO) says it has poured P142 million into partnering government's developmental efforts through a diverse portfolio of projects since 2018.
The projects addressed critical areas such as horticulture, aquaculture, apiculture development, food and nutrition policy development, post-harvest loss management, the cultivation of good agricultural practices, quality management systems, and the assessment and mitigation of land degradation, among others.
Out of the 24 projects, about 14 of them are complete with the rest nearing completion.
Speaking at an FAO stakeholder meeting last week, the organisation’s representative in Botswana, Dr Rene Czudek, said FAO continues to actively seek funding from various sources to address Botswana's development challenges and realise prosperity for all, in line with Vision 2036 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“Our collective endeavours in this regard are of paramount importance, and I implore each of you to play an active role in unlocking opportunities for Botswana's prosperous future,” he said. Czudek said the partnership with Botswana government holds potential to expedite the realisation of the country’s transformative vision by leveraging FAO’s extensive knowledge resources to actively contribute to and facilitate the journey. The partnership has resulted in the signing of FAO Country Programming Framework (CPF) for the period 2022-2026.
“Our collective endeavors are of paramount importance and I implore each of you to play an active role in unlocking opportunities for Botswana,” he said. Some of the successes include the successful mobilization of $300,000 for the Green Climate Fund for Botswana’s green resilient recovery efforts, strengthening the Botswana apiculture value chain through coordination and capacity development, support for capacity building for horticulture farmers, development of the National Horticulture Strategy, and support towards the operationalisation of the SADC regional agricultural policy, locusts projects, support to development of Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBRNM) legislation for Botswana as well as support towards food systems summit national dialogues in Botswana.
