Page 13 - 2020 Virtual International Symposium

Building Resilience in Dairy Production in Botswana

A young entrepreneur’s determination to develop and grow her

dairy farm while battling the prolonged effects of climate change

A Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Team (SMART) Project

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Tiffany Agard , Ernest Bethe IV , Clairion DuBose , Emma Moulton , Thomas Mueller 5

Team Leader: Joanna Upton 6

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Faculty/Field Advisors: Miguel Gómez , Daniela Scur , Onkutlwile Othata , Tebogo Bruce Seleka 10

Overview

Sereledi Farms

• Founded and owned by Nonny Wright

• Located in rural Maun, Botswana

• Nonny has become a champion for youth involvement

in agriculture

• Products: madila (sour milk), fresh milk, & drinking yogurt

Timeline

The Country 1,2 Sereledi Drinking Yogurt 60 cow

• Population: 2.3 million herd

Challenge Popular

• Climate: semi-arid yogurt Late

Sereledi Farms needs a

• GDP: $17.4 million AI* cash

clearly defined strategy to Business Health trained flows

- 30% Diamond exports improve financial resilience 10 cow Drought

- 4% Tourism & manage extreme drought herd pressure

- 2% Agriculture and high operating costs. 2014 *artificial insemination 2020

Data Collection Findings

Interviews were conducted over a 14-day period with Key Takeaways

key stakeholders, suppliers, government officials, • Everything hinges on water

potential new distributors, and other actors along the • Feed and medicine shortage impact herd productivity

dairy supply chain. • Late receivables from government hinder financial solubility

• Despite opportunities, government support is inconsistent

• Nonny’s persona is embedded into Sereledi’s success

Moving Forward

• Procure additional internal and external water sources

• Develop new products that are less dairy-dependent; dairy juice, locally

flavored sherbet
Conducting In-Field Interviews and Market Research

• Pursue strategic partnerships to expand production & distribution capacity

Conclusion

To continue operations, Nonny can expand Sereledi Farms to become a center for youth

agricultural education. She can now also utilize her newly expanded network for further

research opportunities like cross breeding and product development. Lastly, Sereledi

Farms can apply for funding opportunities with a finalized business plan.

Founder/CEO of Sereledi Farms Nonny Wright

Acknowledgements Affiliations References

1 Cornell Institute of Public Affairs 1 USDA GAIN Report, 2015
A special thank you to Sereledi Farms, the Botswana Ministry of Agriculture, BAMB,

2 College of Human Ecology 2 Daily News Botswana, 2019
SunnySide, MilkAfric, CEDA, and all the local community members and retailers who

3,5 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
provided us with their insight and an unforgettable experience. Thank you SMART!

4,6 Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management

7,8 SC Johnson College of Business

9 University of Botswana

10 Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis