Indigenous knowledge and land use policy: Implications for livelihoods of flood recession farming communities in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Flood recession farming commonly known as molapo farming in the Okavango Delta is an important land use and livelihood activity for poor and vulnerable communities living on its fringes. Molapo farming is mainly practised by subsistence farmers. The study on the system was conducted in the villages of Shorobe and Tubu in the Okavango Delta in Ngamiland District, Botswana. The objective of the study was to find out if indigenous knowledge (IK) still has a role in molapo farming and if current land use policy supports or stifle the practice and the attendant IK. Indigenous knowledge systems (IKSs) within molapo farming were studied using focused group discussions, Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRAs) and open ended interviews. Policy content and process analysis was done through document perusal and stakeholder analysis. The study found that in Tubu more than 50% of molapo farms are owned by women making molapo farming an important livelihood activity for marginalised groups. The Ngamiland land use plan acknowledges the importance of stakeholder participation and IK in land management. However the use of IK is not evident in the plan and subsequent recommendations. Molapo farming is considered a potential threat to the ecological functioning of the Delta, through use of inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. Consequently farmers have been discouraged from practicing molapo farming on floodplains. However according to the farmers, ploughing in floodplains minimizes cutting of trees and renders use of fertilizer unnecessary due to annual deposition of nutrients through flood waters. We conclude that although IK still plays an important role in molapo farming there exists no policy environment to use the knowledge and support the practice. We recommend that sustainable molapo farming requires the use of IK within an Integrated Land Use Planning process.