The Civil Society Agrarian Partnership (CSAP) is a registered not-for-profit civil society network in Botswana coordinating advocacy work in the thematic focus areas of Agrarian Rights, Monitoring the Right to Food, Climate Justice and Ecocide CIVIL SOCIETY AGRARIAN PARTNERSHP
The Civil Society Agrarian Partnership (CSAP) is a registered not-for-profit civil society network under Section 7(1) of
the Trust Property Control Act No. 4 of 2022 in Botswana, with the trust number TUHFT-000005-23. Box 3275, Francistown, Botswana), CSAP operates as an active and legally compliant trust dedicated to advancing agrarian rights, sustainable food systems, and ecological justice in Botswana and the broader region. CSAP serves as a national civil society platform driving social and ecological transition, with a core focus on food sovereignty, seed sovereignty, and agroecological farming. Through a combination of research, advocacy, and capacity-building initiatives, the organization supports policy interventions that uphold customary land rights and strengthen resilient local food systems. A key priority for CSAP is the protection of sovereign rights over biodiversity, genetic resources, and traditional knowledge, ensuring these remain part of the common heritage rather than being privatized or claimed under intellectual property regimes that undermine communal values. The organization advocates for legal and institutional reforms that enable communities to innovate and sustain biodiversity without facing exploitation. This includes efforts to conserve biological and genetic resources while supporting indigenous knowledge systems that have long maintained ecological balance. The organization conducts regular internal and external evaluations to assess progress in safeguarding peasant rights, ensuring that its interventions remain aligned with the needs of farming communities. Additionally, CSAP places strong emphasis on awareness-raising and capacity-building, hosting workshops, seminars, and international events to educate farmers on policy developments that impact their livelihoods. One of CSAP’s critical functions is facilitating access and benefit-sharing mechanisms in line with the Nagoya Protocol. This involves promoting Prior Informed Consent (PIC) for any access to genetic resources, ensuring that communities retain control over their biological heritage. The organization also mobilizes farming communities into organized groups, empowering them to negotiate fair benefits from the use of biodiversity and assert their rights under Traditional Knowledge (TK) systems. Farmer Seed Development
In Botswana, seed development is dominated by informal exchanges, with over 80% of transactions occurring through barter systems or local markets. However, SADC seed regulations increasingly favor commercial varieties, marginalizing farmer-led systems and undermining Farmers’ Rights as outlined in international treaties like the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). Between 2020 and 2025, CSAP has focused on establishing community seed banks and farmer-led seed enterprises. The organization advocates for policies that recognize Farmer-Managed Seed Systems (FMSS) as the primary seed distribution mechanism while promoting agroecology and participatory crop improvement (PCI) to counter industrial seed monopolies. Monitoring the Right to Food
Policy and legal instruments in Botswana are often fragmented and lack enforceable provisions on the right to food, leaving violations unaddressed and farmers without recourse when denied fair prices or land access. CSAP addresses this gap through a multi-pronged advocacy strategy, including strengthening civil society knowledge hubs on food rights, improving access to justice for affected communities, and lobbying for constitutional recognition of the right to food as a fundamental human right. Securing Community Land Rights
Land remains a critical socio-cultural and economic asset in Botswana, yet weak legal safeguards and inadequate documentation leave smallholders vulnerable to land grabbing. CSAP lobbies for transparent agrarian reforms that restore customary land to rightful custodians while advocating for legal recognition of pastoralists’ migration routes and communal territories. Glyphosate-Free Botswana Campaign
A major challenge in Botswana's agricultural sector is the rampant use of glyphosate and other Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), which threaten human health, soil fertility, and biodiversity. Despite global evidence linking glyphosate to cancer, water contamination, and ecological harm, Botswana's pesticide regulations remain weak, allowing unchecked usage. The current regulatory framework fails to meet international standards, while farmers increasingly depend on these chemicals due to aggressive marketing by agrochemical companies and limited knowledge of alternatives. This dependence creates both health risks for farming communities and long-term ecological damage that undermines food sovereignty. In response, CSAP's Glyphosate-Free Botswana Campaign (2024-2028) adopts a multi-pronged approach. On the policy front, the organization advocates for a complete ban on glyphosate by 2026, leveraging Botswana's commitments under the Stockholm Convention while pushing for SADC-wide pesticide reforms to create regional restrictions. Concurrently, CSAP works to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (MEWT) to enforce pesticide regulations through targeted stakeholder workshops and improved monitoring systems. At the community level, the campaign focuses on breaking farmers' dependence on chemical herbicides through practical alternatives. CSAP trains farmers in non-chemical pest management techniques such as mulching, intercropping, and biological control through an expanding network of Farmer Field Schools, with a target of reaching 1,000 farmers. Such training sessions are complemented by the promotion of indigenous, herbicide-resistant crop varieties through the organization’s community seed bank network, providing farmers with both the knowledge and materials needed for glyphosate-free farming. Pilot projects in high-use areas like the commercial farming districts around Gaborone, Kweneng, and Kgatleng Districts demonstrate the viability of these alternatives. Public awareness forms a critical pillar of the campaign. CSAP publishes documentary films and radio programs to educate communities about the health risks associated with glyphosate exposure while mobilizing healthcare professionals to advocate for policy changes based on medical evidence. Citizen science initiatives engage communities in monitoring glyphosate residues in their local environments, building grassroots understanding of the issue. The campaign also addresses corporate accountability through targeted advocacy with agrochemical suppliers and retailers. To measure progress, CSAP implements robust monitoring systems, including annual tracking of pesticide imports and usage patterns, health impact studies on exposed communities, and regular audits of policy enforcement. These mechanisms ensure accountability while providing data to strengthen advocacy efforts. CSAP’s key policy asks include urging governments to enshrine the right to food in national constitutions, calling on the Botswana government to revise seed laws to accommodate farmer varieties, and appealing to donors to fund community seed banks and land-rights documentation initiatives. Specific demands under the Glyphosate-Free Botswana Campaign include a national glyphosate ban by 2026, the development of a comprehensive Environmental Pesticide Management (EPM) Policy, and SADC-wide harmonization of HHP regulations. The organization also seeks donor support for expanded farmer training programs and research into organic herbicide alternatives. Through these efforts, CSAP continues to champion the rights of peasant communities, ensuring their voices shape the policies that affect their lives and livelihoods
