The Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr. Edwin G. Dikoloti, delivered a transformative speech to the National Assembly in October 2025, unveiling the National Development Plan (NDP) 12 for the agricultural sector. The new plan signals a profound policy shift, moving Botswana’s agriculture from a subsidy-driven dependency towards enterprise-driven empowerment and positioning the sector as a key driver of economic diversification, food security, and export growth.
The core ambition of NDP 12 is to transform the sector into a diversified, resilient, and export-oriented entity that achieves food security, reduces imports, and fuels overall economic expansion. This is guided by a Three-Set Thinking Approach focusing on Change Management, Productivity Transformation (including expanding the national cattle herd to five million ), and significantly increasing agriculture’s Economic Contribution to between six and ten percent of GDP.
Strategic Transformation and Public Benefit
The proposed plan is structured around five strategic priorities, including Agricultural commercialization, Land governance, Climate-smart agriculture, Digitalization, and Inclusivity for youth and women. These priorities are supported by major interventions designed to directly benefit the public and strengthen the national economy.
A central element is the commitment to job creation, with a massive target of creating 250,000 jobs by 2029/30, a decisive move to reverse the net job loss recorded in 2024. This growth will be anchored in diversified, cluster-based opportunities spanning from production to processing and logistics.
Furthermore, the plan tackles the critical issues of food security and economic resilience. The sector aims to drastically reduce the percentage of food imports from 21.7% to 13.7% by 2029/30, covering essential commodities like cereals, milk, and vegetables. Simultaneously, the target for the cereal production growth rate is set to surge from 11% to 80% by 2029/30, strengthening national self-sufficiency.
Financial Security and Modernization
The stability and growth of the farming community are addressed through the planned establishment of an Agricultural Bank and a Captive Insurance Facility. This will provide farmers with structured financial solutions such as insured loans, crop and livestock insurance, and drought relief mechanisms, safeguarding them from unforeseen shocks and enhancing sector resilience.
Modernization is also a key theme, with reforms including the privatization of agricultural extension services to improve farmer support and reduce the farmer-to-extension-officer ratio from 1:900 to 1:100. Strategic investment in digital transformation, including automation and ICT upgrades, will enhance service delivery, traceability, and efficiency across the sector.
New, high-value commodity development is also a feature, with the plan prioritizing the emergence of cannabis production for medicinal and industrial purposes, setting a target of 42,000 tons by 2029/30.
In his conclusion, the Minister affirmed that these strategies reflect an unwavering commitment to building a resilient, inclusive, and competitive agricultural sector that is set to become a key pillar of sustainable prosperity for the nation.
