The consultative workshop, convened by the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), formed part of an ongoing process to validate and strengthen the draft strategy before its adoption. During deliberations, it was revealed that the Agriculture Financing Strategy aims to create a financing ecosystem that can unlock investment at scale, attract private capital, reduce risk and strengthen agricultural value chains.
The initiative comes as Botswana seeks to accelerate agricultural transformation, improve food security and reduce reliance on food imports. Agriculture has been identified as a key pillar of the country's economic diversification agenda, increasing the need for financing mechanisms capable of supporting growth, productivity and competitiveness. Minister of Land and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti, highlighted the need to rethink how agricultural finance is structured, arguing that a one-size-fits-all approach has often failed to meet the diverse needs of the sector. "Over many years, successive governments have committed substantial resources towards agricultural development through subsidies, grants, infrastructure programmes, mechanisation initiatives, livestock support schemes, drought relief programmes and numerous development interventions,” he told those attending the workshop. “Billions of pula have been invested in the sector with the sincere intention of improving productivity and strengthening food security.
