DEVELOPMENT OF LIVESTOCK, AGRICULTURE AND WATER SUPPLIES IN BOTSWANA BEFORE INDEPENDENCE : A SHORT HISTORY AND POLICY ANALYSIS

This report serves as a policy context for rural development efforts in Botswana, formerly Bechuanaland, by listing and analyzing the major factors from 1895 to 1965 that affected its livestock, water supply, and agricultural sectors. During this period, livestock production was the Batswana"s major source of trade income, despite the problems of disease, limited grazing areas (due to water scarcity), and a lack of sustained sales -- the latter due largely to periodic South African cattle embargoes and weight/supply restrictions. A skewed distribution of livestock holdings occurred as droughts and the overuse of communal water sources led wealthier cattle owners to install private boreholes and cattle posts, thereby ensuring their herds" access to water while smaller herds (and their owners) suffered disproportionately. There were also problems facing the agricultural sector, namely water scarcity, labor shortages, a lack of high-yield/drought-resistant grains with low cultivation/harvesting requirements, and a lack of economic incentives for sustained production. As a result, agricultural production never increased beyond subsistence levels. The following contradictory economic dynamics contributed to the the livestock sector"s prevalence over the agricultural sector: (1) a low agricultural output which caused workers to migrate to higher-paying jobs, the resultant labor shortage reinforcing subsistence-level production; (2) a negative relationship of children"s school attendance to agriculture and livestock management; (3) a negative relationship of cattle sales to grain production, resulting in greater grazing pressures at water points; (4) a substantially greater allocation of research, innovation, and funding in livestock than in agriculture -- enhancing the livestock sector"s investment attractiveness; and (5) a subsidization of the livestock sector, especially in large-scale water programs. Appended are a 45-item (1920-79) bibliography and a 22-item (1905-79) list of table and data sources.