ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH PROGRAMME Developing Grapple Plant (Harpagophylum . procumbens DC, Management Strategies in Botswana: People's Agenda for Effective and Sustainable Natural Resource Utilization and Management .. ... • ~ .. 'l 1l\1." .' . - by M.B.M "Sekhwela and P.G. Ntseane National Institute of Development Research and Documentation Prepared for Thusano Lefatsheng Natural Resources Management Project Private Bag 00251 (USAID Project Number 690-0251 -33) Gaborone P.O.Box 131 " Gaborone UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA 1994 ., . NIR was established in 1975, and is an integral part of the Uni versi ty of Botswana. Its main aims are to promote , coordinate and conduct research, and publish results which will benefit the population of Botswana and contribute to Botswana's goal of self-reliance Sekhwela, M.B.M. Ntseane, P.G. Developing Grapple Plant (Harpagophytwn procumbens DC) Management Strategies in Botswana: People's Agenda for Effective and Sustainable Natural Resource Utilization Management /plant resource/ /resources utilization/ /management development/ /Resources management/ /research reports/ (botswana) ISBN: 99912-2-065-8 Cover Photograph: A women slicing and drying Grapple plant storage tubers in rural areas before selling to buyers like Thusano Lefatsheng (Source: Sue Clayton. Marung Magazine. Vol.7 (37) 1998) .. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH PROGRAMME Developing Grapple Plant (Harpargophytum procumbens DC, Management Strategies in Botswana: People's Agenda for Effective and Sustainable Natural Resource Utilization and Management by M.B.M Sekhwela and P.G. Ntseane National Institute of Development Research and Documentation Prepared for Thusano Lefatsheng Natural Resources Management Project Private Bag 00251 (USAID Project Number 690-0251-33) Gaborone P.o. Box 131 Gaborone • UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA 1994 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ; LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ii .. 1.0 INTRODUCTION •..•••• 1 1.1 General Background 1 2.0 DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR EFFECTIVE GRAPPLE PLANT MANAGEMENT . 3 2.1 Innovative Strategies for Effective Resource Management •• 3 1.2 Grapple Plant (Harpagophytum procumbens DC) Utilization and Management in Botswana . • . • . 4 2.2 Current Grapple Management and Conservation Strategies 4 2.2.1 Government Institutions ....•........• 4 2.2.2 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO's) and Private Sector . 5 2.2 Improvement in Grapple Plant Management ......... 6 2.2.1 Community Based Management of Grapple Plant Resource . 6 2.2.2 Government Institutions and Grapple Plant Management . .. ...... 8 2.2.3 Thusano Lefatsheng and Other Interested NGO's or Private Sector. ............... 10 2.2.3.1 Extension Programmes ........... 10 a) Appropriate Training of Extension Officers . 10 b) Target Groups . .. .., 11 c) Resource User Groups ......... 11 d) Grapple Plant Conservation Measures .. 11 2.2.3.2 Research ........... 11 2.2.3.3 Grapple Plant Products Transfers 11 2.2.3.4 Consortium/Forum of Grapple Plant and Other Resource Dealers 12 2.3 Specific Grapple Management Schemes .. 12 GHANZI DISTRICT . 13 Groot Laagte 14 Chobokwane . 14 KGALAGADI DISTRICT 16 Tsabong . 17 Werda . 17 SOUTHERN DISTRICT . 19 Kanaku 20 Mahotshwane . 20 KWENENG DISTRICT 22 Takatokwane 23 Diphuduhudu 23 • REFERENCES . 25 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work would not have been possible without the funding of the USAID and the initiative of Thusano Lefatsheng. We are very grateful to these institutions for having made and afforded us the opportunity to undertake and make this challenging study a reality. The study also benefitted from technical support from some staff members of the Department of Environmental Science, Ms. P.O. Dube and Mr. P.G. Koorutwe. They agreed to assist with aerial photograph interpretation and subsequent production of maps respectively, with nominal payment despite the amount of work involved. Dr. N. Winer, NRMP, put a lot of time in reviewing and commenting on the draft reports, together with Mr. G. Phorano, General Manager and Extension Coordinator of Thusano Lefatsheng. Their input has been highly appreciated. The same sentiments are true of my colleague Dr. D.L. Kgathi who also criticized and made suggestions on the report. It is impossible to list all those who contributed to this study in one way or another, and I would like to heartily thank all of them. • UST OF ABBREVIATIONS NIR National Institute of Development Research and Documentation NGO Non-Government Organisation USAID United States Agency for International Development .. NRMP Natural Resources Management Project RADs - Remote Area Dwellers ARB Agricultural Resources Board NCS National Conservation Strategy TL Thusano Lefatsheng • i i 1.0 INTRODUCTION There is a general lack of success in the existing natural resource degradation abatement strategies in Botswana, particularly resources which are vital for livelihoods in rural areas (e.g. land, water, veld products, etc. ). The situation of resource depletion continues to worsen, despite heightened campaigns by both government, NGO's, and private sector alike. The campaigns have however, increased awareness of environmentally negative aspects of resource utilization and development compared to the past few decades (Sekhwela, 1990). Much of these campaigns are directed towards rural communities who are directly depended on exploiting environmental and natural resources for a livelihood. Non-sustainable means of resource utilization and development are commonly used by the rural populations, who are also believed to have a wealth of knowledge about various important and valuable natural resources. Such knowhow forms a framework of tradit iona 1 and indigenous resource utilization and development which communities have lived with for millinea and has become part of livelihood strategies. Any new type of framework or strategy is most likely to be judged against the existing and trusted ones. Consequently, introduced strategies have to be highly beneficial in the eyes of the grass roots, otherwi se old strateg i es pers i st and the status quo is maintained. The result of which is failure of resource degradation abatement strategies. This report makes some proposals towards improving management strategies of Grapp le plant (Harpagophytum procumbens DC) in Botswana, following some revelations on the lack of adoption of conservation measures introduced by Government some years ago by Grapple plant harvesters (Sekhwela, 1993). The proposals are preceded by a general review of problems of natural resource management and conservation, with some examples of successful cases of management strategies elsewhere also highlighted. 1.1 General Background The acceptance and use of existing indigenous technical knowledge of environmental and natural resources as a basis for the development of effective and sustainable resource management techniques should otherwise be obvious. But lack of ways of capturing such knowledge has led to the insistence of the superiority of modern scientific know-how, which in most cases is fragmental and often lacks social aspects. This has impeded the use of indigenous technical knowledge for the development, protection and sustenance of valuable environmental and natural resources. The consequences of which has been the development of natural resource management techniques and policies devoid of existing indigenous resource management systems which take account of cultural and social issues. The newly introduced management systems often need enforcement machinery, and in most cases success is limited because of likely resentment and antagonistic attitudes. The foregoing truly reflects the current natural resources management and conservation strategies in Botswana, characterised by highly centralized systems which have in fact killed traditional and indigenous natural resource management systems. Centralization has disempowered the people, and eroded traditional institutions for the control, rationalization of resource utilization, development and conservation. Such institutions are typical of societies the world over which are still reliant on their own traditional and indigenous systems of resource utilization, development and conservation for subsistence livelihood (Sorensen, 1993). The effectiveness and success of such systems depended (lor depend) very much on the strength of community / based institutions and other st ructures, which in fact reflect the power the communities had (or have) on the control of their resources. After destroying community based institutions and other structures by disempowering of the grassroots, modern government impose their own institutions. Normally such institutions for natural resource management assume lack of knowledge of any resource management strategies among resource users. Consequently traditional and indigenous resource management techniques are not recognized nor made use of. As such, the cultural and social aspects which differ among communities are ignored by the standardized and imposed framework of natural resource management and conservation. This creates resentment and antagonistic attitudes as the newly introduced systems are perceived in terms of denying the communities the use of their own frameworks of the natural resource utilization, management and conservation. Normally their frameworks are holistic in nature, including various cultural aspects, ethno botany and other aspects of ecological know-how, resource development techniques, conservation, etc (Sorensen, 1993). Relevant examples of such mechanical insensitive and deculturalization