Botswana Food Bank fights hunger

A lot of people in Botswana’s rural areas and villages live in moderate to severe food insecurity situation, a Spokesperson of Food Bank Botswana, Tshepiso Nkate has said.

A report on the prevalence of food insecurity by Strata 2018/19 shows that in cities and towns 792 cases of food insecurity 31 percent of the cases were moderate and severe whilst 11 percent of the cases were severe in urban villages 1308 cases of food insecurity were reported and 46 percent of the cases were moderate and severe cases of food insecurity whilst 17 percent of the cases were severe.

In rural areas 1140 cases were reported and 65 percent of the cases were moderate to severe whilst 33 percent of the cases were severe.

Speaking during the launch of Food Bank Botswana 100 000 food hamper campaign, which aims to end hunger in Botswana and fight food insecurity, Nkate said the campaign was a response to this need.

She said that with the 100 000 food hampers they want to provide vital hunger relief services and creation of zero waste in companies as they can donate to the cause.

Nkate said a lot of different demographics have different needs, such as the elderly, child-led households, pregnant women, who the Botswana Food Bank intends to reach out to with food hampers.

Launching the campaign, Minister of Agriculture Fidelis Molao reiterated that government is committed to ensuring that Botswana is food self-sufficient.

Molao urged the Food Bank Botswana Trust to open up avenues of training and teaching for various communities to grow food for themselves other than just receiving and distributing food hampers.

Nkate concured with the minister that donating food is not a permanent solution to ending hunger but equipping people with the necessary tools to make food for themselves is the best way, saying in the foreseeable future they will also teach people how to fend for themselves.

Molao used the platform to enunciate support programmes that his ministry continues to implement to enhance crops and livestock production and ensure that Botswana attains food security and food safety.

The crop support programmes cover provision of seeds which are distributed nationwide to farmers every farming season, hybrid seeds, fertilisers, herbicides, portable water, farming implements and access to credit. In the livestock sector, government assists with drilling of boreholes, fodder production, abettor construction and the recent addition of the live animals procured for their semen production.

In the past government launched the backyard gardening initiative so that people may have food to eat for themselves. Molao encouraged Batswana to challenge themselves to attain this.

“Eliminate food waste,” Molao appealed, adding that 'we must teach children not to waste food but rather to spare food for those who do not have any food. That way when they grow up they will replicate the act when they are adults that way we the nation will achieve zero hunger.'

The minister advised companies not to neglect their corporate social responsibility of helping the less privileged saying eliminating hunger is a collective task that needs everyone’s input.