Procurement News Notice |
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| PNN | 10370 |
| Work Detail | Climate variability is the greatest threat to the long-term economic viability of dryland farms. In order to counter these uncertainties, many farmers turned to diversification as aa survival strategy. One such farmer is Mr Nonofo Bareeleng, a 38-year-old resident of Kang in Kgalagadi District. He is not a novice to farming because he grew up in a family where agriculture buttered their daily bread. Armed with such background, he knew that farming would be a gateway to greener pastures in his life. In an interview at his farm, he explained that he was funded to the tune of P50 000 in 2007 through the Youth Development Fund (YDF). With the money, he managed to buy 15 layer chickens. However, lack of sufficient feeds and reliable market made selling eggs a mammoth task for him, but due to his determination and zeal, as well as the help from her relatives, he managed to master the trade and accumulated enough profit. He later considered diversifying his business by bringing in greyhound dogs. Mr Bareeleng subsequently swapped his dogs for boer goats and dorper sheep. As it is a known fact that climatic conditions of Kgalagadi favoured certain breed of goats, he chose Boer and Dorper breeds because of their adaptability and easy keeping. Asked why he suddenly changed gears and switched to small stock production, he said every business person is focused on profit therefore small stock farming has a great return. "Besides that, health wise, small stock doesn't have as much problems as other animals. Most of the small stock diseases are respiratory (associated with fever) so they just need someone to check their temperatures when you suspect one of them is not well," he says. Mr Bareeleng now runs his small stock operation from Magohi cattle post about 17 kilometres from Kang village. He has never looked back since and he has grown to become an established farmer who currently owns 75 goats and 12 sheep. He explained that he keeps his goats for commercial purposes and not for prestige as most are sold to beneficiaries under the LIMID scheme. His business has penetrated the lucrative Gaborone market including big establishments in the likes of Senn Foods. Asked what his recipe for success was, Mr Bareeleng said goats need proper management and care. "You must feed them well, abide by medical procedures and tag them. He cited challenges of predators such as jackals and hyenas which kill his animals, adding that he has introduced two Sheppard dogs as a remedial measure. "The dogs are vicious and normally sleep with the goats and sheep. They (dogs) will wake you up at night if there is anything suspicious. However, they need human support so that when they bark at night one is able to wake up to see what is happening", he said. He intends to improve his breed by purchasing Kalahari Red goats for breeding purposes. Mr Bareeleng encouraged other youth to diversify their method of farming as it has long proved to have real long-term benefit. "Diversification not only helps farmers to hedge their bets against commodity price fluctuations, it can also help protect them from climate variability. |
| Country | Botswana , Southern Africa |
| Industry | Food & Agriculture |
| Entry Date | 15 Oct 2016 |
| Source | http://allafrica.com/stories/201609090920.html |
