Pandamatenga farms in Botswana grow crops like sorghum, maize, beans, and sunflower. The farms benefit from fertile black clay soils, semi-arid climate suitable for drought-resistant crops, and plenty of flat land available for expansion. Inputs include land, machinery, capital, seeds, labor, and fertilizers. Masedi farms, a large-scale commercial farming project, harvests over 3,000 tons of sorghum annually but production does not meet national demand. Farmers face challenges like poorly drained soils, crop damage from pests, poor infrastructure, and low market prices set by the Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board.

1. Commercial Farming in Botswana
Pandamatenga Farms Case Study

2. Factors influencing the location of
Pandamatenga farms
(a) Soils
– Soils are predominantly black clays. These soils are very fertile but
very difficult to work on during wet seasons. They also become very
hard in the dry season.
(b) Climate
– Pandamatenga experiences hot and moist summers and mild dry
winters (that is, semi-arid climate). The amount of rainfall recorded
since crop production started ranged from 340 mm to 983 mm. This
makes the area well suited for drought resistant crops.
(c) Land
– There is plenty of space for expansion when the need arises. The
farms are on the plains which are fairly flat; this makes it easy to use
machines. Only southern plains are currently cultivated because the
whole area is not in use.

3. Farm Inputs
You have already learnt that inputs are all those things needed to
produce whatever is planned. We have already described the inputs at
Talana farm, and since most of them are the same for Pandamatenga
farms, we will just list them. They include:
• land • machinery
• climate • seeds
• capital (finance) • labour
• fungicides/insecticides •fertilizers
From this list, I hope you realise that both intensive and extensive
commercial farming require similar inputs. The only difference could
be the extent to which each is required. For example, extensive
farming will require more land than intensive farming.

4. Crop production (outputs)
Pandamatenga has been identified as a suitable
area for rainfed arable farming or dryland farming.
As we have discussed before, this is because of the
fertile soils and higher average rainfall than in most
parts of the country. The main crops are:
• Sorghum, millet, maize and beans, cowpeas
planted between early November and late
January.
• Sunflower is planted later in February as it can
withstand low winter temperatures.

5. Masedi farms at Pandamatenga
• This is a Debswana funded project established in 1998. The project was established with the aim
of developing a sustainable farming model for the local farmers and also in view of vision 2016’s
aim of attaining food security for Botswana. A total amount of P10 million is used to run this
project for a period of 8 years. The project also runs an outreach Programme which assists local
subsistence farmers to progress to a commercial scale. It is hoped that these farmers will in
future serve as role models for other farmers in Botswana. At its establishment, a total land of
2,400 hectares was put under sorghum and maize cultivation. Three years later the farm
harvested about 3000 tonnes of sorghum, out of which 2 500 tonnes is contracted to government
institutions. However, this is not enough to meet the country’s demand of 13 000 tonnes per
annum. The country still imports sorghum from South Africa. Besides sorghum, the farm also
produces cotton and sunflower.
• Masedi farms partly owe its success to an Australian, Mr. Ian Keene a highly experienced farmer
from a similar type of environment. The use of fetilisers, nutrients and hybrid seeds, minimum
tillage and maximum pest control also contributed to its success.
• The success of Masedi farms has had a great impact and has led to some developments in this
area. This includes the establishment of processing industries and the development of
infrastructure. Young Batswana have also sent to Australia for specialised training on dryland
farming.

6. Marketing of Crops from Pandamatenga
• The main market for sorghum and maize produced at Pandamatenga farms is Botswana Agricultural
Marketing Board (BAMB). BAMB was established for the purchase of food grains and other crops like
groundnuts, beans and sunflower.
• BAMB also supplies agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, seeds, stock feeds and jute bags. It has several
depots or centers and one of them is at Pandamatenga.
• BAMB prices are usually low and fixed and as a result farming has been unprofitable. The BAMB pricing
policy has greatly contributed to the failure of crop farming in this area. Most farmers sell their products
in South Africa where prices are relatively high
• The presence of Masedi farms has had a great impact and resulted in some developments in the area.
BAMB has responded by putting up silos for storage (see figure5).

7. Problems experienced by Farmers
Farming by nature is a risky business. What do you think
Pandamatenga farmers face as problems?
• Poorly drained Soils often resulting in waterlogging and severe
floods during heavy rains
• Crop damage by pest such as animals birds, insects and
worms
• Poor Infrastructure (impassable roads, no electricity and
telecoms connections)
• Poor management and planning due to lack of skills
• Low Market Prices in Botswana
• Problems of securing Financial Assistance