Poverty reduction through alternative livelihoods in Botswana's desert margins

Abstract

Despite rapid economic growth recorded in the last decades following independence in 1966, poverty is still rampant especially in the rural areas of Botswana. Poverty reduction has been on the agenda for many years and poverty reduction strategy has mainly concentrated on the improvement of both agricultural production and productivity since the majority of the population residing in the rural areas depend mainly on agriculture for their livelihoods. The findings of this study indicate that there are other livelihood options available in the rural areas which might help government in its efforts to reduce poverty. According to the study, there are several livelihood options available in the desert margins of Botswana, but communities fail to exploit these due to a number of constraints such as poor access to financial credit, lack of awareness of potential income earners such as eco-tourism, insufficient knowledge and technical expertise. Hence government efforts aimed at improving access to financial credit and creation of awareness on potential income earners apart from agriculture are likely to succeed in reducing poverty in the rural areas.