Botswana:Â Botswana Prison Service received farm machinery and implements for the development of agriculture within the facility. Minister of Defence and Security Thomas Kagiso Mmusi handed over the equipment to Botswana Prison Service.
The hand over ceremony for the Farm machinery and implements took place in Gaborone on Thursday
The organization has developed a robust and a needs-based rehabilitation and reintegration strategy. Agriculture is one of the programme’s pillars of excellence. The aim of the programme is to be more corrective in approach and offer high class offender rehabilitation and reintegration.
Minister of Defence and Security Thomas Kagiso Mmusi was happy to make the donation to the facility.
He shared that the strategy seeks to improve the physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food by all offenders to meet their dietary needs for an active and healthy lifestyle.
He said it will also provide theoretical and practical learning experiences, leveraged through the use of modern farming methodologies and climate-smart agricultural practices.
Minister Mmusi highlighted that since the implementation of the Strategy, the Prison Service have been self- reliant on vegetable production. In the previous performance year, over 300 tons of various vegetables were produced.
He added that during the last cropping season, the Service produced 55 tons of grains under rain-fed conditions. This is despite the fact that the season was declared a Severe Arable Agricultural Drought year.
He appreciated the mechanization initiative, stating it resonates well with the National Mind-set Change Campaign.
The campaign aims to shift approaches to farming for better yield and quality. Despite the unprecedented effects of climate change, Mmusi emphasized that the Government must ensure that food security is ultimately attained.
He therefore asked the Prison Service to utilize the machinery and implements to their fullest capacity to achieve food security while upholding environmental conservation principles to ensure sustainable agriculture and contribute meaningfully to the National Food Basket.
Giving her welcome remarks, Commissioner Dinah Marathe said receiving the machinery and implements is a great resource that will go a long way in ensuring efficiency in the Service’s desire to feed the prison community and eventually the nation as per the Prison Food Security Strategy aspirations.
She said the acquisition of the farming implements will improve the turnaround time and increase production levels. It will also help reduce Government spending on feeding of prisoners.
She pointed out that the Service aspires to produce industry-ready prisoners, who are knowledgeable and skilled enough to compete with other farmers upon completion of their custodial sentences.
Commissioner Marathe paid homage to the Government led by Dr Mokweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi for creating an enabling environment for the Prison Service to effectively deliver on its mandate through resourcing of all the initiatives and programmes.
She further thanked Minister Mmusi and the Ministry of Defence and Security Team for being a foundation of strength and motivation to push the everyone beyond limits to produce exceptional results that would propel the Prison Service to be the model institution of correctional excellence.
Minister Mmusi handed over to the Prison Service five (5) medium range tractors, two (2) mechanical 4-row planters, two (2) 4-disc harrows, 4two (2) 3-tine rippers, one (1) 28-disc hydraulic offset, two (2) 2000 Litre trailed boom sprayers, two (2) fertilizer spreaders, and two (2) lift cranes.