Rural Inequality Botswana

Botswana is a landlocked country in southern Africa with a population of 2,030,738 [1] and 70% of the land in Botswana is covered by the Kalahari desert. Tourism is growing in the country as it has extensive nature preserves and conservation practices. It has natural resources like diamond, copper, nickel and salt and has grown economically from one of the 10 poorest countries to a middle income country. Although Botswana has many natural resources, as it is a landlocked country, in the past trade was not possible as transportation mainly included ships and as it didnt have access to the coast, these natural resources could not be sold so the GDP of the country remained low. It was not until recently that transport was made available so trade could increase. There would have been an increase in exports of diamond and other natural resources as well as imports from other countries. Botswana also faces many environmental problems such as desertification and drought. Because of the drought 75% of human and animal populations are dependent on groundwater which is obtained by drilling deep boreholes which leads to the erosion of land in the long term and also cant be built on. This could affect levels of development overtime as secondary industry wouldnt locate here as there isnt much place to build factories, and the country is sparsely populated. Although it has a considerably high adult literacy rate at 82.4% so it has a highly skilled work force, there arent many people to work. Also as 95% of the country raises cattle and livestock for means of income, this has increased levels of desertification as land is being used intensely for growing crops and feeding livestock. As this has been profitable for farmers in Botswana, the land is continually being exploited which could in the long term prevent development because all the fertile soil is being used up and is prone to desertification. Many farmers may not have any other land, which could lead to a decline in the primary industry and families therefore not having a source of income so then not contributing to the local economy by exporting crops around the world. Even though Botswana has experienced high rates of economic growth over the years, 47% of the population still lives below the UN poverty line ($2 per day) showing the wealth gained from diamond exports is not equally distributed. The number of people classified as urban has increased from 4% in 1966 to 55% presently showing some form of inequality as just less than half the population are still classified as rural however this could be by choice as some people may want to retain their rural lifestyles. There are also many income and gender inequalities in the country with female-headed households worse off. 23% of the population live on less that $1 a day, with a high concentration of poverty in western areas and most women have low socio-economic status; men decide about family size and the use of contraceptives. Even though urbanisation has been rapid there are still many inequalities in the area which could lead to health & education deprivation as some people may not have access to such services which could cause a huge divide in the long term.

Botswana has 3 types of land tenure: tribal/customary 72%, state 24% and freehold 4% which apply in both rural and urban areas. In the past all tribal lands were common lands administered by chiefs who ensured that everyone had a homestead and arable grazing lands (only the homestead was privately owned) and land was distributed according to need. Also land rights were inherited by sons. However presently, Land boards administer tribal lands for the benefit of citizens. Now the poor are losing access to land as it is privatised and fenced off as part of modernisation and the intensification of farming. Women are traditionally never acquired land (changes to the law are addressing this issue). Minority groups, known as the remote area dwellers make up 6% of the population of Botswana however their invisibility and the development of key resources have eroded their rights to land. HIV/AIDS is undermining communities by depriving them of people, worsening gender inequalities and levels of poverty, and creating an orphan problem. Many Botswana who migrate, tend to send earnings back to their family or eventually return home which helps a little to overcome the income inequality as people in rural areas are still getting some money from family members who have migrated to the city and therefore get a higher income. Botswanas government produced a National Development Plan (NDP) every 6 years to try and cut poverty. They target rural areas and attempt to stem the flow of people to the towns. Strategies include increasing commercial farming, with new research and training centres and farming for export. This improves income but takes land out of local use. The government also runs strategies to upgrade homes in towns and also electrifying rural areas. They help overcome some basic inequalities by providing clean water, education and electricity therefore reducing some inequality in the country.

Bibliography [1] http://www.google.co.uk/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&met_y=sp_pop_totl&idim=count ry:BWA&dl=en&hl=en&q=population+of+botswana