Representatives of government of Botswana’s agriculture and energy portfolios (insert) descended into Habu on 3rd March 2022 to conduct a rapid community appraisal of energy and productive water needs. It was hoped that the feedback would inform design, supply, installation and commissioning of solar powered irrigation and water supply system as envisaged in the “Improvement of Livelihoods in the SADC Member States through the Adoption of Distributed Renewable Energy for Productive Use” project.
Implemented by the SADC Secretariat in partnership with SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE), Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CARDESSA) and the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP SA), the pilot project covers Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, and Zambia.
The appraisal revealed community support for development of Habu Trust’s vegetable garden. Asked to summarize the emerging project brief, Mr James Mulenga of the Department of Energy Affairs said that the project shall entail drilling and equipping a solar powered borehole to irrigate 2 hectares of farmland under shade netting. As such, the initiative will go a long way towards augmenting CO-EX’s Village Greens project currently supported by Xigera Safari Lodge.