Agricultural Services Support Programme (ASSP)

General

The programme aims to contribute to economic diversification, reduction of rural poverty and food insecurity and improve livelihoods of approximately 20,000 farming households in the regions of Ngamiland, Chobe, North East, Central, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Southern and South East. The programme aims to achieve a viable and sustainable smallholder agricultural sector based on farming as a business, not reliant on subsidies or welfare measures, focusing on women and youth currently engaged, or potential new entrants, into smallholder agriculture. Land and natural resource governance interventions intend to strengthen participatory local land use planning in the identification, demarcation and planning of cluster farming areas. The programme aims to encourage the allocation of under-utilised land to landless women and youth while maintaining security of tenure of owners by strengthening rental agreements. Cluster Management Committees and Agricultural Management Associations will be established to strengthen group management of land.