Wil de r ne s s Saf ar is Bot s wana j o i ns hands w i t h t he f ar mi ng c o mmuni t y
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arming and the safari tourism industry have much in common, and the 4 Cs come to mind, namely, Commerce, Community, Culture and Conservation. Unfortunately we often hear about conflict between the land cultivators and land preservers. It is therefore very reassuring and exciting to hear about joint ventures where they manage to work together. Since 1983, Wilderness Safaris has been dedicated to conserving and restoring Africa’s wilderness and wildlife by creating life-changing journeys and inspiring positive action. As Africa’s leading authentic and sustainable ecotourism operator, Wilderness Safaris operates camps and safaris in some of Africa’s best wildlife and wilderness areas across seven countries: Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia
and Zimbabwe. In this way they offer their guests private access to almost 2,5 million hectares (over six million acres) of Africa’s most remote and pristine wildlife areas, while remaining fiercely committed to protecting our planet’s precious natural and cultural resources. Wilderness Safaris has invested over P800 000 into a local conservation farming project that aims to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and generate income for community members of the Okavango Community Trust (OCT) villages adjacent to the Vumbura Concession. Together with Ecoexist and the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Department of Crop Production, they will guide the farmers on developing communal plots into cluster farms to produce staples such as beans, maize, millet and sorghum.
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“We’re proud to work with organisations that share our values and want to make a tangible difference to local communities. The project will not only mitigate human-elephant conflict, with the addition of 35 elephant-aware farmers on the peripheries, but will also help the farmers earn a living. Wilderness Safaris is offering to procure the produce at full market rate plus 10%, while assisting with entry into a bigger market. The surplus received will be channelled directly to the 127 participating community members, enabling them to support their families,” says Wilderness Safaris Botswana Cultural and Community Relationship Manager, Lesh Moiteela. To start the project, Wilderness Safaris used its heavy machinery from the Vumbura Concession to de-stump a large plot at Eretsha village – a process
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