Livestock Development in Botswana: Consequences for the Rural Poor

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Periodical article

Title:	Livestock Development in Botswana: Consequences for the Rural Poor
Author:	Keijsper, Volkert
Year:	1993
Periodical:	Afrika Spectrum
Volume:	28
Issue:	3
Pages:	323-339
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Botswana
Subjects:	land law communal lands animal husbandry Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment Development and Technology
Abstract:	In February 1991 the Botswana Parliament adopted the 'White paper on the national policy on agricultural development'. For the livestock sector, the major change concerned the expansion of the so-called Tribal Grazing Lands Policy (TGLP) into the communal areas. Under the TGLP individuals will be allowed to fence flexible-sized borehole areas for exclusive use in order to improve livestock productivity. As a consequence, this policy revision implies a major land tenure change, resulting in the gradual privatization of communal lands. A point-of-no-return will be passed, whereby the winners may be few and the losers many. This essay characterizes the new livestock development policy, its underlying reasons and its likely consequences for the rural poor. As an alternative strategy, built upon the present land tenure system which guarantees land security for all Tswana, the author proposes the introduction of Communal Area management programmes. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in French and German.