The Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD) introduced in 2008, will be replaced during the 2022/ 2023 ploughing season as it is conveyed as ineffective in improving Botswana’s crop productivity, according to Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security Karabo Gare.
A relatable research article by Tebogo Seleka, former Executive Director at Botswana Institute for Development and Policy Analysis (BIDPA), which estimated the Impact of the ISPAAD input subsidy programme on the Subsistence Economy in Botswana(2020),showed that the programme may have impacted positively on food security and welfare among subsistence households, however, it was found not to be cost effective since public expenditure on the programme exceeded the value of crops produced, and was therefore fiscally and economically unsustainable.
Honourable Gare, when briefing Parliament recently, stated that MoA will implement a more cost effective and sustainable arable farming programme which is anticipated to enhance agricultural productivity and output growth, promote inclusivity in agricultural production as well as improve social capital base.
The programme, which will guide next year’s arable assistance is intended to increase yield of selected crops through the introduction of output based encashment, introduction of insurance cover, seasonal guarantee loans as well as robust promotion of climate smart agriculture; promotion of investment in crop production by increasing agricultural commodities in the product space from four to at least ten products by the year 2024.
Mr Duncan Ramooki, commercial farmer at Mosisedi Commercial Farmers Cluster when giving an opinion on the matter, said that ISPAAD only drained government money without producing any substantial results as it was input based and categorized everyone as a farmer as long as they had access to land.
“I believe the new programme will be effective as it is said to be output based which would encourage farmers to take farming seriously as they will concentrate on producing results, rather than accessing free inputs and later abandon the farm to stay at the city”, he highlighted.
The programme, aims to strengthen farmers’ position in the food supply chain by reviewing the current farmers’ committee structures and capacitating the Agricultural Management Associations (AMA).
MoA will also promote agro-ecological production and agro tourism by utilising unproductive land for lodging and other recreational facilities as well as relocating agricultural exhibitions to clusters.
Honourable Gare informed that although the designing of the programme has been finalised and ready to be implemented, it will not be feasible in this coming ploughing season because the ploughing season is starting in October 2021 and farmers have not been informed about it, and therefore may cause confusion and frustration among farmers and input suppliers to learn and implement the programme at the same time.
During this ploughing season, MoA will continue with the ISPAAD transition programme which was implemented in the 2019/2020,as its last extension.
