BITRI Explores COVID-19 Impacts

Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation Climate Change lead researcher Professor Nnyaladzi Batisani will lead a team of researchers to explore the combined long-term impacts of the coronavirus (COVID- 19) pandemic, climatic impacts and the looming economic downturn on horticultural food security and sovereignty in Botswana. The title of the research is ‘Triple Threat: COVID-19, climate impacts and economic downturn: challenges and opportunities to food sovereignty and security in Botswana’. The research will look into issues such as how COVID-19 affected sourcing of production inputs, demand and marketing of produce as well as relationships between producers and retailers. Other questions will include the challenges before COVID-19; were they magnified or lessened because of COVID? Is COVID-19, a chance for local producers to proof themselves? Are spatial clustered farms opportunity for cooperative marketing? Is synchronised cropping a tool to consistent horticultural supply? The research will also look into the potential for integrating horticulture with dairy, piggery, poultry, cattle stud breeding and meat processing because of the proximity of most horticultural projects to towns and major settlements. The research team will collect data on farm location coordinates and size, current production by crop and cropping calendar, farm water resources, farm labour, production challenges, marketing channels and challenges as well as opportunities. Climate change and economic performance scenarios will be factored in as externalities. Data will be collected telephonically and online using farmer databases from farmers associations and extension workers across the country. Maps of horticultural production sites will be constructed from farm location coordinates.