When the government of Botswana declared 2023-2024 an “extreme agricultural drought year”, it marked the Southern African country’s third consecutive such year. Crop yields plummeted and over 10% of the population faced food and nutrition problems.
The El Niño weather phenomenon was the most immediate cause of the drought. But human-caused climate change is making droughts round the world more common and severe, according to the UN’s climate science body.
El Niño is a climate pattern in which the surface water of the east-central tropical Pacific Ocean warms to significantly above average. This affects rainfall patterns and weather across the world, raising temperatures globally for its duration.
El Niño is part of a phenomenon called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (Enso). El Niño events do not occur on a regular schedule, but on average appear every two to seven years. The opposite, cooler phase is called La Niña. During La Niña, cooler-than-average sea temperatures are experienced in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. Like El Niño, it affects patterns of rainfall and atmospheric pressure worldwide.
By contrast, 2025 has brought above-average rainfall, resulting in flooding across much of the country. While the rains have alleviated drought conditions, they introduced new challenges for farmers, including destroyed crops and waterlogged fields, making it difficult to plough and plant.
Climate change in Botswana is leading to “more unpredictable and unreliable rainfall”, explains Leslie Olesitse, head of environment at Ecosurv, a Botswana environmental consultancy. “This means longer dry spells and more intense rainfall when it does occur.”
Last year, Dialogue Earth visited two communities in the country’s Central district, to seek their perspectives on the drought. The consequences of scarce rainfall were visible everywhere, and national and local response mechanisms seemed stretched to their limits.
Toll on agriculture and livelihoods
“There are no signs of rain; we have even given up on ploughing our fields this year,” says Gadimang Arabang, a farmer from Majwaneng village in Central. “Crops seem not to adapt in this heat and lack of rain.”
Yields for the summer 2024 cropping season were down on the previous year. Most of the crops that were planted wilted and failed, the government reported. Total production was estimated at only 6% of the national cereal demand, which is 300,000 metric tonnes. Livestock suffered as well, with over 16,000 drought-related mortalities.
Driving along the A1 highway that passes through Central, the situation was impossible to ignore. There were fires consuming grazing lands. The land was visibly dry and devoid of green vegetation, with no water in sight.
Botswana’s central position on the Southern African plateau makes it naturally prone to droughts. The semi-arid country normally receives most of its rains between November and March. But El Niño and climate change has made this less predictable.
According to people from Majwaneng and Ratholo (seven kilometres west of Majwaneng), rainfall is increasingly erratic and unevenly distributed. Crop farming is a growing gamble given the difficulty of predicting weather patterns, which dictates when to plough and what to plant.
“The rains are gone,” says Phetogo Bonang, a Majwaneng farmer. “Hope is lost such that even the Department of Meteorological Services does not know what is happening. We can’t grow anything, because we no longer receive regular rains like when I was younger.”
Central Botswana’s communities rely heavily on rain-fed crop farming and livestock rearing for their livelihoods, and the worsening droughts have pushed many into food insecurity.
The staple food mabele (sorghum meal, used to make porridge) was only available in big stores in towns. This caused malnutrition and economic instability, as farmers usually depend on selling surplus mabele to neighbouring towns.
Changing seasons, old cultural beliefs
“There is no denying the fact that seasons have changed,” says Section Moseki, a farmer from Majwaneng. The ploughing fields that surround Moseki’s smallholding have mostly been abandoned, populated by starving cows.
Moseki took up farming as there were no other opportunities for employment after he finished high school. He now takes care of his father’s livestock and crop fields. With all the rivers having dried up in the area, he walks for more than 10 kilometres daily from Majwaneng to the cattle post to bring the animals water.
Like many, Moseki attributes the drought to a loss of traditional values. While others, like Arabang, blame political and social turmoil.
Traditional beliefs dominate conversations in small villages like Majwaneng, making it difficult for new adaptation and resilience measures to gain traction.
The only thing that has changed is the fact that people no longer observe cultural beliefs, like taking traditional treatment after you lose your child or your husband. Those are the things that lead to all this climate change.Gadimang Arabang, Majwaneng farmer
Local people are quick to dismiss any suggestion that some practices, such as cutting down trees, may be contributing to climate change. Arabang argues they have been using firewood for domestic use since before she was born, without disrupting the weather.
“The only thing that has changed is the fact that people no longer observe cultural beliefs, like taking traditional treatment after you lose your child or your husband. Those are the things that lead to all this climate change,” she says. Such beliefs are deeply rooted in these communities, passed on from generation to generation, through village prophets and elders.
Communities in Botswana – especially the Batswapong people, of Central – have a good record on conservation. They only use and hunt what they need, and they protect their vegetation, especially the mophane tree, which is good for firewood and fencing off fields. But with time, outside influence, such as individuals from other villages who come here as government workers, may be leading to some locals caring less about the environment.
Moseki says outsiders come to cut trees, especially the mophanes. He points to tree stumps along the road on his way to his farm. The tree supports its namesake, the mophane worm, which is a key source of protein and trade with other communities. But the worm is in decline due to drought and deforestation.
“Without mophane trees, the worms cannot survive,” says Kesentseng Olesitse. This young farmer, also from Majwaneng, has decided to abandon crop farming for seasonal labour, clearing fields for other farmers.
Mitigating climate change effects
The government of Botswana and various NGOs have tried to cushion the country’s rural communities from food insecurity and other climate-related problems. For example, the government has provided subsidies for animal feed, while the Botswana Red Cross has been critical in providing food relief.
“As humanitarian leaders, we aim to adapt and evolve our approaches to meet the evolving needs of those we serve,” Kutlwano Mukokomani, secretary general and CEO of the Botswana Red Cross, wrote in its Outreach 2024 annual newsletter. “This means not only providing immediate relief, but also investing in long resilience-building initiatives that empower communities to withstand the effects of a changing climate.”
Wilderness Botswana has also launched a three-month emergency food relief initiative. It has been distributing 350 food parcels each month to some of the most affected communities in the Okavango Delta, in the north of the country.
Joe Matome, acting managing director of Okavango Wilderness Safaris, emphasises this commitment: “We are working closely with our community leaders to ensure the most affected receive aid.”
In the longer term, there is the government’s National Climate Change Policy and the National Adaptation Plan Framework. For example, communities are being encouraged to use drought-resistant crops and livestock breeds, notes Lesley Olesitse, Ecosurv’s head of environment.
In November 2024, the newly elected President Duma Boko said his government will “promote the use of […] precision farming, smart water management systems, soil enhancement technologies and regenerative agriculture, which can help our farmers optimise crop yields, conserve water, and adapt to the challenges posed by climate change”. Boko also said: “We will invest in renewable energy projects such as solar, wind, and bioenergy, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and creating new economic opportunities for our people.”
Botswana’s drought crisis brings to light the need for urgent, sustainable action. Integrating traditional knowledge with scientific approaches, fostering community-led conservation and bolstering regional cooperation are critical steps toward resilience.
As the country navigates the challenges of climate change, the stories of Majwaneng and Ratholo serve as a reminder of the human cost of inaction. But, as communities, NGOs and government work together to face these challenges, such stories also portray the power of collective effort.
