Planning for the communal first development areas in Botswana : a framework

To address these problems, the Government of Botswana (GOB) is planning an area-based, integrated development approach in which a certain communal area - called a Communal First Development Area (CFDA) - will be selected in each district to receive priority attention for several years. In addition to increasing agricultural production and employment, the CFDA program will address the complex issues of land use planning and land management. The purpose of this report is to suggest operational guidelines showing how integrated area development, as yet untried in Botswana, can be implemented. Following a brief overview of the CFDA program"s administrative framework, guidelines are presented for: defining and selecting CFDA"s; obtaining the data needed to prepare a CFDA plan; defining activity and impact targets; setting timetables for program planning, implementation, and evaluation; and mobilizing local participation. The report stresses the leadership role that should be played by the Rural Development Unit of the GOB"s Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and by the interministerial Communal Areas Working Group, in coordinating line ministry and district planning for CFDA"s.