By Vidah Mahava
Ms Tlotlo Neo Phuduhudu was born and raised in the village of Molepolole in a family of farmers. She has an impressive seven-year tenure in agricultural production, value chain analysis and development, capacity building, and market linkages. Her unwavering passion lies at the crossroads of development tourism, agriculture, and the empowerment of rural farming communities in Botswana. Tlotlo has a Master's in International Agribusiness Management, which she did after completing a Bachelor of Sciences in Hospitality Management.
In 2015, she started selling food in the streets bought from the farm her parents plowed. To promote traditional food, she started making different dishes, such as Tswana rice, made out of sorghum grains, and made some of the dishes modern.
In 2016, Tlotlo founded Native Feeds, previously known as (Healthy Delights); from there, her parents encouraged her to get into agriculture by supplying seeds and fertilizer to Botswana's farming community under the Integrated Support for Arable Agricultural Development program. This strategic move kick-started her journey to uplift the agricultural sector.
Tlotlo highlighted that the vision of Native Feeds is to transform the livestock industry by providing sustainable and nutritious feed solutions that promote animal health and well-being. Native Feeds is committed to utilizing innovative approaches and indigenous plants to develop products that help combat internal parasites while supporting small-scale farmers in their journey toward successful agribusiness ventures.
The company strives to create a brighter future for animals and farmers by promoting environmentally responsible and socially equitable practices. We also support farmers by conducting training workshops on commercializing their farming,” intimated Tlotlo.
“We bring different experts from the digital /IT, finance, energy, branding & marketing, and commercial farmers to share their experience on how they could transition to a commercial farm,” said Tlolo.
They also do one-on-one consultations on animal health, nutrition, and farm business. She said, “We realized that these are the main key points that farmers struggle with, especially at a small-scale or subsistence level.” They go to the farm and give them an animal health program that they can use to prevent diseases because it is well-known that prevention is better than cure. The other support is on animal nutrition plans that they can use and, in addition, train them on nutritional tips to keep the livestock healthy. These plans are tailor-made for their farms.
Farm business training provided to farmers helps them find market opportunities and assists them in accessing these market opportunities and meeting the market requirements. For some farmers, such information is difficult to comprehend, for they need help to do it. So, the company helps them with those requirements and what they can implement to meet them and sell their products in a particular market. Also, the farm business aspect helps them run their farms in a commercial business. The company has helped some farmers to sell their produce. The company assists the farmers in slaughtering, packaging, and delivering their products.
The other support that the company has recently introduced is called the “Marketplace.” The company has created a relationship with one particular retailer in Molepolole Village, where farmers sell grain products. In this, the company assists farmers with different training on packaging and pricing. Different individual agricultural products, from maize, lentils, popcorn, and beans, are sold to the retail spaces. Despite all that, she also volunteers at farmer’s events to share her expertise through speaking or assisting with organizing the events and using radio and Television to educate farmers about different agricultural activities.
“The company's mission is to provide sustainable and nutritious feed solutions that promote environmentally responsible and socially equitable practices throughout our supply chain, from sourcing to distribution,” She said. By doing so, the company strives to create a more sustainable and equitable future for animals, farmers, and the planet.
Harnessing her innovative spirit, in 2017, Tlotlo expanded Native Feeds into livestock feed production. Employing forward-thinking methods, the company began producing feeds from indigenous plants, crop residues, and plant by-products. This progressive approach revolutionized the industry by offering sustainable and eco-friendly feed options for livestock.
She also ventured into goat farming, where she explored producing organic goat meat using certain indigenous plants as an alternative for alleviating/preventing internal parasites in goats, which was incorporated in the feeds made. For three years, they tested the solution on their goats, and it proved to be authentic as they never used any medication or vaccines on them (goats) since incorporating the indigenous plants as an alternative medicine/vaccine. She said in doing so, “We had zero mortality rates, and we started selling the product to other farmers.”
Recognizing the importance of knowledge dissemination and skill enhancement, Native Feeds also provides capacity-building programs to farmers in rural communities. These initiatives equip farmers with the latest techniques in farming management, empowering them to optimize productivity and achieve self-reliance.
In addition to her exceptional contributions, Tlotlo Phuduhudu actively fosters market linkages, bridging the gap between rural farming communities and broader economic opportunities. Leveraging her expertise in value chain analysis and development, she facilitates the integration of local agricultural products into broader markets, promoting sustainable economic growth and ensuring fair opportunities for farming communities.
With her unwavering dedication, diverse expertise, and eight years of experience, Tlotlo Phuduhudu emerges as a catalyst for transformative change. Her visionary outlook and commitment to the convergence of development tourism, agriculture, and rural empowerment pave the way for a prosperous and sustainable future for Botswana's farming communities.
The author is the Coordinator of Technology Transfer & Partnerships at the Ministry of Agriculture, and she is also a CCARDESA Information, Communication & Knowledge Management focal point person for Tanzania.
