How much water do pigs need to drink? In hot weather they go to the watering point and seem to be looking for more water. Is giving them water once or twice a day enough? They tend to knock containers over and waste water. What is the best way to…
The Botswana Department of Water Affairs (DWA) has appealed for emergency assistance to fight the resurgence of water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), an invasive aquatic weed that displaces native plant species from water bodies. Addressing the 2nd Botswana Biodiversity Symposium held in Maun recently, DWA invasive weed expert Dr. Naidu Kurungudla…
The Namibian Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources says the continuation of fishing operations in Zambia has rendered the tri-nation Zambezi River annual fishing ban ineffective. The annual Zambezi River regional fishing ban runs from 1 December to 1 March to allow fish to breed and stabilise stocks. The ban,…
Rwanda has banned the importation of a wide range of meat, dairy products, vegetables and fruit products from South Africa (SA) following the outbreak of listeriosis, a food-borne viral disease that causes fever, muscle aches and diarrhoea among other gastro-intestinal symptoms. The disease has infected over 500 people and killed…
The Botswana Horticultural Market (BHM) has been closed down for being a drain on government finances and continuously failing to achieve set objectives. The BHM was set up in 2008 by the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security as a central horticultural produce regulatory and marketing agency where farmers…
As much as 45% of all the arable land available for agricultural use in Botswana is lying idle due to over-regulation and lack of laws to turn the practice of agriculture into a business enterprise. Presenting the findings of his portfolio performance report for 2016/’17 recently, Agriculture and Food Security…
According to a report from the OIE, 3 outbreaks of the deadly viral poultry disease Newcastle disease have been reported in Botswana. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) yesterday released an immediate notification report of 3 outbreaks of the disease in the Kgatleng, Central and South-East provinces. A total…
The governments of Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia have signed an agreement that allows Botswana to import water from Lesotho using a 600 km-long pipeline that will run across South Africa to the capital Gaborone. Late last week, water portfolio ministers from the 4 countries met in Kasane, Botswana,…
The government of Botswana has lifted the ban on the movement of all cloven-hoofed animals and their fresh products into Ngamiland following a mass vaccination exercise that has stabilised the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak that hit the district late in September. The ban took effect on 21 September after…
South Africa is still struggling to get their foot and mouth vaccine production system up to date, and is still struggling to get funding from government. Landbouweekblad reported that new technology has been developed and there are trained individuals to manufacture the foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine in South…
A suspected outbreak of foot and mouth disease(FMD) has been reported at the Namayane crush in Ngamiland, in Botswana’s North West Province. According to the Directory of Veterinary Services’ Dr Lethogile Modisa, the disease was first spotted by farmers who noticed cattle with suspicious symptoms. In an investigation, five animals…
The South African agricultural industry must change its approach to potential crop and livestock diseases completely. This according to Prof. Darell Abernethy, dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Pretoria, during a congress by Croplife and the South African Animal Health Forum in Johannesburg. Abernethy was…
Professor Joseph Mbaiwa from the University of Botswana, says the ban on safari hunting which was implemented in 2014, was a political decision and cannot be justified from a scientific viewpoint. According to his research report titled “The impact of the ban on safari hunting tourism on local income and…
Botswana authorities are detaining several Zambian fish dealers for allegedly violating the country’s fish ban, says the Zambian High Commission. Botswana imposed a 12 month fishing ban which came into effect in March 2017. Environment, Natural Resources and Conservation Minister Tshekedi Khama said the decision was motivated by the continued…
The Government of Botswana have announced a ban on all poultry products from Zimbabwe after an outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian flu. “As a result, the import of domesticated and wild birds, their products (meat, eggs, feathers etc.) and poultry feed from Zimbabwe is banned with immediate effect,” government…
There has been high demand for Tuli breeding material from South Africa’s neighbours over the past two years. In 2016, five stud bulls and ten heifers were exported to Namibia, while more than 100 female animals were exported to Zimbabwe. At two previous Tuli auctions, another four stud bulls and…
One of Botswana’s leading Brahman breeders has set up his own AI (artificial insemination) and embryo station in Gaborone after spending time in Canada. He selects for cattle that excel and thrive in Africa’s punishing climate. The mortality rate in Africa’s herds is too high and the production efficiency is…
A cattle farm with more than 5 000 animals on 65 000 hectares can only be successful if the farmer’s management is impeccable and he ensures that everything is in place to keep things running smoothly. He started farming with next to nothing on a small piece of land –…
Mr Koos Geldenhuys of the farm Uitkyk near Riversdale used scrap materials lying around on his farm to build a slide dipping system that can dip up to 1 000 sheep an hour. The dipping ditch which is traditionally used – which can dip up to 500 sheep a day…
Leonard Mavhugu, a dairyman from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, talks to africanfarming.com about managing large herds and releasing the potential of farm personnel. It’s two hours before dawn. Dairy farmer Leonard Mavhugu is on the move, driving through the darkness to Amadlelo Agri’s dairy at Fort Hare, outside…
Vegetables need regular watering from planting until harvest. The practice of water conservation is useful especially if there is a dry spell after sowing, emergence and transplanting. The secret of using water wisely is to water slowly, deeply, and less often to avoid water loss through drainage and evaporation. Slow,…
Farmers are known for their ability to give old diesel tanks many new guises in a variety of innovative ways. Mr Hannes Esterhuyse has done just that, making water troughs using rings cut from an old diesel tank. Hannes, a sheep farmer in the South African Karoo-desert, has designed and…
With a little skill and welding an old trailer was turned into one of the most important pieces of equipment on any farm - a fire trailer. If there’s one thing that you don’t take shortcuts with, it’s safeguarding your farm against fire, says Mr. Paul Schlechter, farm manager of…
Wisdom Mababe, a farmer from Mumbwa in the Central Province spoke to Chris Burgess and Albertus van Wyk, about the beef cattle sector of his mixed farming operation. In Africa, and globally, the trend is for people to move to the urban areas in search of a better life, which…
