Agriculture in the Chobe District is under mounting pressure from a combination of climate variability, livestock diseases, resource shortages and human-driven challenges that threaten both small-scale and commercial production.
This was revealed during the Full Council Session, where district authorities laid out the increasingly complex risks facing the sector, this Monday.
Although the season began with promising November rains and a total of 44,237 hectares already ploughed and planted, agricultural officers warn that progress on the fields masks deeper systemic threats that could undermine productivity in the months ahead.
The largest looming danger remains animal disease outbreaks, particularly those driven by vector activity during the rainy season. The Department of Veterinary Services cautioned that wet conditions create optimal breeding grounds for insects responsible for transmitting deadly livestock diseases such as Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), Rift Valley Fever, Blue Tongue, Theileriosis, Heartwater, and foot rot.
While the district achieved an impressive 95.4% vaccination coverage for Foot and Mouth Disease in July, officials fear that complacency could put farmers at risk if they fail to vaccinate against other high-risk viruses now expected to surge.
Adding to the vulnerability is the poor traceability rate among cattle, which stands at just 20%. Farmers continue to delay purchasing BAITS tags and often only tag animals when planning to sell them, leaving disease surveillance and movement control dangerously weakened.
The poultry sector is also recovering from the avian influenza outbreak recorded in Satau earlier in the year. Although the disease was successfully contained and restrictions have been lifted, the district remains short of day-old chicks, with farmers still struggling to return to normal production levels. Surveillance has also detected high incidence of Newcastle disease in wild doves, raising further concern among poultry keepers.
In arable farming, the district faces resource and structural pressures of its own. With only five permanent extension officers covering vast farming areas, support to farmers is stretched thin. While the Temo Letlotlo programme has helped 19 farmers secure fencing materials, most other components remain suspended due to financial constraints. Only one farmer in Satau has managed to complete electric fencing, underscoring the slow pace of progress.
Commercial farmers in Pandamatenga continue to dominate crop output planting over 41,000 hectares compared to just 2,351 hectares by small-scale farmers. But even commercial operations are vulnerable to unpredictable rainfall patterns and the rising frequency of extreme weather events, which threaten both yields and operational costs.
Human-related environmental damage also poses emerging threats. Illegal sand mining, uncontrolled veld fires, and land degradation — many caused by negligence — risk destabilizing the ecological systems agriculture depends on. This season alone, the district recorded 23 wildfire outbreaks, burning over 112,000 hectares, much of it caused by unpermitted burning and careless activities. Such environmental damage reduces grazing capacity and exposes livestock to further stress.
Despite these challenges, the Council shared that last season’s harvest of 99,773 tonnes demonstrates the district’s agricultural potential. However, sustaining and expanding this output will require farmers to adopt resilience measures such as timely vaccination, improved livestock identification, soil conservation, and stronger adherence to climate-smart practices.
The Council has urged farmers, communities, and local leaders to work collaboratively to protect the sector, warning that the threats facing agriculture are interconnected and growing. With food security, livelihoods, and economic stability tied directly to agriculture, the call for action has become more urgent than ever.
