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First, the background.
I am a 44-year-old Afrikaner woman, currently working for the local government in Rustenburg, South Africa. I would like to start a small Permaculture-based homestead/backyard farm, and as South Africa has become increasingly hostile to farmers and smallholders alike, I am seriously considering bringing my energy and resources, such as they are, to Botswana, a country that I have only ever heard positive things about.
The farm, which won’t be larger than what I can handle by myself or with the help of two staff members, will be called Tshingwaneng. There is no direct translation for that word into English – but it is the word used for the garden of Eden/Paradise in the Setswana Bible. That makes perfect sense to me, as that will probably be the place where I visit with God the most.
My initial plans are to register a Closed Corporation in Botswana and then buy a smallish patch of land, to the South and Central part of the country, as that would probably be more affordable and closer to my relatives still living in South Africa. Any investments I make won’t be for large amounts of money (definitely less than P1 million in total), as I am a government servant and don’t have deep pockets, but I still have every intention to fund myself for at least the first year, with the help of whatever grants and other incentives are available and applicable.
The farm itself will be self-sufficient and off-grid. I do plan to have a mast installed for radio internet purposes. I shall live in an army tent or a shack for the first year, both to save money and to finalize any planning that needs to be done and implemented.
I want to keep about 250 beehives, but the main crop income would be from tilapia and leafy greens raised in aquaponics beds under shade netting. Besides that, I plan to sell whatever surplus I produce from a large vegetable and herb garden, whether that be preserved food, fresh produce, or even seed and/or seedlings and cuttings Other sources of income would be from a soap workshop/cottage factory, classes that I plan to offer on permaculture, sustainable gardening, and finally from small-scale fruit and vegetable production. That way, the local community can also benefit. I understand that as a foreign national I shall not be permitted to sell goods directly to the public, but will have to sell to local shopkeepers instead. That is something I can live with.
The Botswana government has set aside grants for farmers, especially beekeepers. That is not the main motivation for me keeping bees at all, as I have wanted to do that from the beginning, but it may be the reason for me scaling up the way I plan to do.
It’s still mostly about sustaining myself comfortably first and foremost and then selling off the surplus – the “fair share” that Permaculture prides itself on. Not selfish – as one can only eat so much – but more a sense of putting on my own oxygen mask first so that I am able to take care of others.
I am also considering erecting up to 4 so-called “tiny houses” on my property, to serve as reasonably-priced farm-stay accommodation for visitors to Botswana. Not everyone can afford the fees that the lodges and hotels charge, but I also want to maintain a proper and friendly standard, so as not to be seen as “cheap”.
Bee-keeping is labor-intensive, so I shall have to employ and train at least two men (!!!) to help me lift the hive boxes for inspection and harvest. Any employees will be recruited from the local community and they will have to travel to work and back from their homes. Their remuneration will be tailored accordingly. Bicycle travel might be a green transportation option, and the appropriate subsidies provided. That goes for men and women alike.
In a nutshell, these are my goals. There are some training courses that I want to take while I am still earning a salary so that I don’t embarrass myself. It’s always better to be over-prepared than to find halfway that you lack some vital piece of knowledge or skill. I would also like to translate this residence permit into citizenship after the appropriate time has passed.
