Backyard projects rubbish � beneficiaries

The beneficiaries described the scheme, one of President Ian Khama’s flagship programmes, as a “big joke” which despite its intended benefits could not eradicate poverty especially in the city where there is high shortage of land for ploughing. The recipients said this when the presidential inspectorate team toured some projects in the city on Wednesday. The team discovered that some people have long abandoned their projects.

According to district crop production coordinator in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mercy Chilume, a resident of Monarch and a beneficiary of the project, Mpebe Koogotsitse, abandoned the project saying that it was a waste of her time.