Adoption
and Impact of
New Sorghum Varieties in Botswana
Citation: Rohrbach, D.D. and Makhwaje,
E. 1999. Adoption and impact of new sorghum varieties in Botswana. PO Box 776, Bulawayo,
Zimbabwe: Southern African Development Community (SADC)/International Crops Research
Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Sorghum and Millet Improvement Program
(SMIP) (Semiformal publication).
Botswana released three open pollinated sorghum varieties and one sorghum hybrid
in 1994. One of the varieties, Phofu, has been widely disseminated. Within 2 years of its
release, more than 90% of the nation's small-scale farmers were aware of this cultivar,
and almost 50% had planted it. This success is attributable to government support for the
multiplication of this variety, and the distribution of the seed of Phofu under national
drought relief programs. Much smaller quantities of the other three cultivars (Mahube,
Mmabaitse and BSH 1) were produced and distributed.
The released varieties offer marginal yield gains under the extensive management
systems pursued by most small-scale farmers. A comparison of the grain yields commonly
obtained by small-scale farmers, with the yields evident in both on-farm and on-station
trials, highlights the relative importance of promoting complementary investments in crop
management. Most sorghum production in Botswana remains a semi-subsistence enterprise.
Investments in improved management practices are unlikely to occur without stronger
efforts to commercialize sorghum production. The country now imports almost all of the
sorghum used in its milling and brewing industries. The milling industry alone consumes
twice the average level of domestic sorghum production. By inference, research and
extension need to work with these industries to pursue a strategy explicitly linking
technology change and commercial grain market demand. |
