The government has released data on the extent of agricultural land and farms owned by foreign nationals under the Tribal Grazing Land Policy (TGLP) and other land tenure systems.
In response to a question from Prince Mosanana, MP for Kanye West, the Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti, said Botswana possesses 258,620 km² of agricultural land, representing 45.6% of the nation’s total surface area of approximately 581,730 km².
Dr Dikoloti explained that the TGLP was introduced in 1975 to protect rangeland, halt environmental degradation caused by overstocking, promote commercial ranching through leasehold titles, preserve communal areas for small-scale farmers, and reserve land for future generations. The policy expropriated over two million hectares of communal grazing land and demarcated 342 ranches of approximately 6,400 hectares each, allocated on 50-year leases. In 1991, the National Policy on Agricultural Development (NPAD) recommended fencing of communal grazing lands around private and syndicate-owned boreholes. By December 2005, 602 ranches had been demarcated under NPAD, enclosing an additional two million hectares.
According to official records, the Ghanzi District’s Makunda area has 165 total ranches and farms, with four non-citizen owned and 161 citizen owned. The Tawana Land Board has 199 total, with 26 non-citizen owned and 173 citizen owned. The Kweneng District has 62 total, all citizen owned. The Kgalagadi area has 24 total, all citizen owned. The Ngwato Land Board has 57 total, all citizen owned. The Ngwaketsi Land Board has 94 total, with one non-citizen owned and 93 citizen owned. The combined total across all land boards is 601 ranches and farms, with 31 non-citizen owned and 570 citizen owned.
Dr Dikoloti said Botswana’s active commercial arable sector utilizes approximately 2,600 km², or 260,000 hectares, representing 0.45% of the nation’s total surface area. Operations are concentrated in Pandamatenga within the Chobe District, the Tuli Block covering 460,000 hectares with 95 original freehold farms, and the Barolong Farms spanning 280,000 hectares with 41 surveyed farms.
The minister said property ownership remains fluid, as individuals and companies frequently enter into sales and partnership agreements that may result in the transfer of ownership among citizens.
Dr Dikoloti said Botswana’s active commercial arable sector utilizes approximately 2,600 km², or 260,000 hectares, representing 0.45% of the nation’s total surface area. Operations are concentrated in Pandamatenga within the Chobe District, the Tuli Block covering 460,000 hectares with 95 original freehold farms, and the Barolong Farms spanning 280,000 hectares with 41 surveyed farms.
The Pandamatenga area operates as a strategic Special Economic Zone comprising 137,407 hectares, distributed among commercial farms covering 84,500 hectares, subsistence farming accounting for 12,400 hectares, and approximately 40,507 hectares designated for the Zambesi integrated-agro-commercial development project. Within this zone, there are 83 commercial arable farms, with 52 owned by companies, of which 31 are owned by foreign nationals.
The minister further submitted that there are 105 farms situated on state land comprising an aggregate area of 603,363 hectares, with 17 owned by non-citizens. There are approximately 527 freehold land parcels, and due to the historical context of this land tenure, the ownership pattern remains predominantly composed of non-citizens, at over 95%.
In the Ghanzi District’s Makunda area, six commercial ranches were originally allocated under the TGLP, with one under a joint-venture structure split equally with 50% ownership by a citizen and 50% by a foreign national. A total of 159 farms were allocated under the NPAD, with two farms 100% owned by a South African national and a third under joint partnership with 49% owned by a South African national and 51% owned by a Motswana. The minister emphasised that these foreign nationals acquired their plots legally through the established process of transfer of land rights.
Under the Tawana Land Board, 199 ranches were allocated under TGLP spread across Hainaveld with 120 ranches, Sehithwa Toteng Phase 1 with 59 ranches, and Bodibeng Phase III with 20 ranches. Of these, 45 are owned by companies and 26 have been acquired by foreign nationals through legal property transfers.
In the Kweneng District, 35 TGLP ranches are located in the Motokwe areas covering Maboane, Dutlwe, Tsetseng, Takatokwane, and Tshwaane, with none allocated to foreign nationals. Similarly, 27 ranches were allocated at Ngware, Diphuduhudu, and Loologane and Shadishadi within the Lephephe area, with none belonging to non-citizens.
The Kgalagadi area has 24 farms allocated under TGLP located across Lehututu, Hukuntsi, Tshane, Struizendum, Boxpits, and Middlepits, all owned entirely by citizens of Botswana, with two of these farms owned by citizen-owned companies.
The Ngwato Land Board has allocated 57 ranches under the TGLP situated in the Malatswai and Lepashe areas, all 100% owned by citizens. The Ngwaketsi Land Board has allocated 94 ranches in various locations, with only one owned by a foreign national.
Dr Dikoloti concluded that the alienation of land rights from citizens to non-citizens involves restrictive measures of controlled transactions, intended to promote retention of land rights by citizens. These control measures will be enhanced in ongoing land management reforms.
