Michael Bernard Kwesi Darkoh

Globalisation and the Livestock Industry in Botswana

The expansion of Botswana’s livestock industry in recent years is partly a result of moves towards integration into the global economy. In the colonial period, livestock raising was the backbone of the national economy and in the post-colonial period remains the mainstay of the rural economy. Botswana’s export-driven cattle industry has led to the establishment of a well-equipped infrastructure such as marketing and veterinary services, which rank among the most developed in Africa. The industry has much support from the government; hence, the cattle population continues to grow. Even though globalisation has generally had positive impacts on the development of Botswana’s economy through beef exports, it has also generated some socioeconomic and environmental problems. Most serious are the continuing skewness of livestock holdings, increasing income disparities between the rich and poor, and accelerated overgrazing of rangelands due to overstocking of cattle by both communal and commercial farmers. The erection of veterinary cordon fences associated with the prevention of diseases and expansion of the cattle industry to meet export demands have decimated large numbers of migratory wildlife species in the country, with deleterious effects on the burgeoning tourist industry. As a result, globalisation is having both positive and negative impacts on the economy of Botswana.

The constraints of antiretroviral uptake in rural areas: the case of Thamaga and surrounding villages Botswana.

Abstract This article examines the constraints of antiretroviral (ARV) uptake in the villages of Thamaga, Kumakwane, Mankgodi and Gakgatla which are in the Kweneng District of Botswana. The social interactionist approach and theories of health behaviour provided the theoretical basis of the study. Data were obtained by using interviewer-administered questionnaires which were applied to a sample of 145 respondents and 61 people living with HIV/AIDS in the four villages. The results of the study showed that people aged 30–39 years represented the highest proportion of the persons on ARV treatment in the villages. Some of the people living with HIV believed that ARV therapy could better their lives during the initial stages of introduction, but with time, they lost hope and gave up the treatment. Culturally, parents and children in the villages do not discuss sexual matters at home and it was found in the study that there was little communication between parents and children on AIDS and ARV issues. Some churches in the area discouraged the use of ARV. There were also traditional doctors who made their patients mix traditional herbs treatment with ARV treatment. Distance, travel costs, cultural beliefs, stigma and discrimination among others were found to be important socio-economic factors inhibiting ARV uptake. Even though there were constraints on ARV uptake in the villages, efforts were being made by Government and non-governmental organizations to overcome them. The Ministry of Health provided information and education to the public using its strategy known as Information, Education and Communication. Nurses, doctors and chiefs taught people at kgotlas (traditional courts) in the villages about the dangers of the epidemic. Free HIV testing, ARVs and condoms were provided to the villagers. The outlook for ARV uptake looks generally promising for the future. However, if HIV/AIDS is to be contained, sexual behaviour of people in the villages needs to change.

Trends and Perceived Determinants of HIV/AIDS in Rural Areas: The Case of Thamaga and Surrounding Villages, Botswana

This paper examines the trends and perceived determinants of HIV/AIDS in Thamaga and its surrounding villages of Gakgatla, Kumakwane, and Mankgodi. Data was collected mainly through interviewer-administered questionnaires which were applied to a sample of 145 respondents from the general public and 61 people living with AIDS in the villages. The results of the study showed that cohorts of ages 30 and above generally had higher infection rates. Females had a higher number living with HIV than men. Deaths of people living with AIDS were steadily increasing in the study area. The primary causes of the epidemic were poverty and relative wealth. Alcohol and drug abuse, multiple partners, lack of HIV testing and condom use, commercial sex work, ignorance, illiteracy, culture and religion, were perceived by respondents as the proximate driving factors of the epidemic.

Industrialization and Rural Development in the Anglophone African Countries

At independence, Anglophone African countries or the former British colonies inherited a structural and spatial pattern of industries incapable of contributing significantly to sustainable rural development and nationally integrated economies. In the subsequent post-independence period, efforts in some countries were made in their industrial planning and implementation processes to restructure the inherited pattern, but not much success has been attained. To date, industrialization and rural development have made little impact in many of the Anglophone African countries. The central argument of this article is that the inherited characteristics and pattern of industrialization in the Anglophone African countries are incapable of contributing significantly to sustainable rural development and balanced nationally integrated economies and there is need for a new industrial allocation pattern. The article discusses the characteristics and evolving trends in industrialization and rural development and makes suggestions for the future.