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A Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Teams (SMART) Project
1
2
Bichara Sani Haladou , Aly Mashek , Rylee Scofield 3
Team Leader: Ndunge Kiiti 4
Faculty Advisor: Ralph Christy 5
S E R E L E D I F A R M B O T S W A N A & C O V I D - 19
In 2014, Sereledi Farm was founded by Nonny Penelope COVID-19 disrupted supply chains, causing tremendous economic
Wright. damage across the globe. On March 24 , 2020 Botswana closed its
th
borders and declared a state of emergency (1).
Maun, Botswana F E M A L E - L E D m S M E s
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)
represent 90% of Botswana’s economy (2). When the pandemic
hit, women-led MSMEs were more vulnerable (3). Personal
Sereledi Farm produces fresh milk, drinking yogurt, and
madila that are sold to stores, governmental institutions, and services and food have higher participation rates of women than
supermarkets. With the COVID-19 pandemic, Sereledi suffered male-dominated sectors which were largely unscathed by the
from lockdowns, price increases, and substantial profit losses. COVID-19 shocks.
M E T H O D S F I N D I N G S
❖Literature Review Sereledi Farm was able to remain active due to the adaptive
❖Zoom Interviews nature of Nonny Wright that encompassed self-efficacy,
❖ Qualitative Data Analysis entrepreneurial spirit, and her inherent female strength to
remain resilient (4).
P I L L A R S O F R E S I L I E N T B U S I N E S S E S
Leadership, networking activities, peer mentoring, training,
seeks feedback, can cope with external stressors.
Overcoming time poverty, engagement in profitable male-
dominated sectors, curating access to loans and financial capital.
“As an entrepreneur you “We will do our best even the
know that every problem you next pandemic or whatever
face you are able to find a comes our way in the following
solution.” Creativity, social skills, resourcefulness, optimism, years to ensure that we push
– Nonny Wright, 2020 integrity, independence, tolerance of failure and risks. our products in our store.”
– Nonny Wright, 2021
C O N C L U S I O N
Without strong adaptability skills and keen ingenuity, entrepreneurs would quickly falter to economic
shocks. Sereledi Farm has proven that MSMEs have been able to navigate the pandemic by incorporating
resilience into the business model. Thus, Sereledi Farm was able to remain in business throughout the
pandemic.
Acknowledgements Affiliations References
From Botswana, we are 1 Department of 1. Botswana: The latest coronavirus counts, charts, and maps. (n.d.) Retrived May 6, 2021,
appreciative of Nonny Agricultural Sciences from https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries
Majama, N. S., & Magang, T. I. T. (2017). Strategic planning in small and medium
(Sereledi Farm) and 2,3 Department of enterprises (SMEs): A case study of Botswana SMEs. Journal of Management and
Dr. Selalelo Mpotokwane Global Development Strategy, 8(1), 74-103.
(NFTRC) for walking this 4,5 Charles H. Dyson 3. Cherchi, L., & Kirkwood, D. (2019). Crossovers in Botswana: Women Entrepreneurs
journey with us. We’re School of Applied Who Operate in Male-Dominated Sectors Output for Women Entrepreneurship Study
also grateful to Prof. Economics and (P164089).
Ndunge Kiiti, Prof. Ralph Management 4. Bullough, A., & Renko, M. (2013). Entrepreneurial resilience during challenging
and the SMART Program. times. Business Horizons, 56(3), 343-350.
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