30/03/2026
BugLife Pty Ltd at Chobe Connect
Agriculture in Botswana is not constrained by a lack of land, nor by a lack of global technology. If anything, this discussion has shown that we are operating below our natural potential.
We have comparable or even better conditions than regions like Ningxia in China, yet they have achieved food self-sufficiency under far harsher climatic conditions. The difference is not just water — it is ex*****on, alignment, and incentives.
Yes, mindset matters. But mindset does not change in a vacuum — it responds to visible opportunity, functioning systems, and proof of income.
At BugLife Pty Ltd, our journey reflects this reality. Through the support and tutelage of WomHub , KPMG East Africa, and collaboration with Digital & Innovation Hub, we have moved from MVP to pre-commercialisation in an area that is already proven globally — organic waste valorisation through insect biotechnology.
This is not theoretical.
Companies like Inseco in South Africa and Chanzi in Tanzania are already turning organic waste into high-value protein and soil inputs, creating export industries and rural jobs.
The question, then, is not whether solutions exist.
The question is: Why are proven models still treated as “novel” in Botswana?
We have:
Idle land under both government and private ownership
Organic waste streams from hospitality, agriculture, and urban systems
Rising demand for affordable feed and soil amendments
A youth population disengaged not by laziness, but by lack of viable entry points
What we are missing is coordinated ex*****on across institutions.
This is where stakeholders in this room become critical:
SEZA_Botswana
Botswana Investment and Trade Centre
CEDA
National Development Bank
BDIH
Selebi-Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit
Botswana Innovation Fund
Ministry of Tourism
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development
Francistown City Council
Each of these institutions plays a role — but currently, these roles are fragmented rather than catalytic.
If we are serious about short-term food security and long-term export growth, then the path forward is practical:
Unlock idle land through performance-based access. Not ownership — utilisation. If land is idle, it should be matched with operators who can produce.
Aggregate waste into structured value chains
Hospitality, municipalities, and agriculture must feed into circular systems like insect protein and composting.
Fund what already works elsewhere. Stop treating proven models as experiments.
Fast-track them.
Create bankable aggregation models
Individual farmers struggle. Integrated systems — feed, soil, production, and offtake — succeed.
Shift agriculture from survival to enterprise
Young people do not reject agriculture — they reject unprofitable agriculture.
We are already seeing momentum. Through collaboration with partners like Manna Insects and local initiatives such as ResClime, we are building systems that combine community inclusion with scalable technology.
But progress has been slower than it needs to be — not due to lack of effort, but due to capital access, regulatory friction, and institutional inertia.
So yes — mindset matters.
But if we want to change mindset at scale, we must first change what is visibly working.
Because once agriculture consistently produces income, dignity, and growth —
people will not need to be convinced to participate.
They will come.
