Germany: Circular Economy Transitions in Botswana's Agro-Food Systems: A Multidimensional Perspective on Food Waste Reduction
- Leti Kleyn
- Nov 21, 2025
- 2 min read
The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (ZNE)
Sustainability Assessment of Agrifood Systems Conference
Germany | 20-21 November 2025
Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, faces interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, food loss and waste, food insecurity, and poverty, all of which undermine the sustainability and resilience of its agro-food systems. Despite persistent food insecurity affecting more than 50% of the population, significant quantities of food are lost or wasted along the food supply chain, revealing structural inefficiencies and missed opportunities for resource recovery. This study adopted a multidimensional food systems perspective to examine circular economy transitions in Botswana’s agro-food system, with a particular focus on food waste reduction, recovery, and valorisation. A qualitative research design was employed, drawing on secondary data from policy documents, reports, and academic literature, complemented by key informant interviews with stakeholders across the food supply chain, including producers, processors, retailers, waste managers, and policymakers. The findings revealed that most food waste in Botswana is disposed of through landfilling, with limited segregation at source, constraining opportunities for higher-value recovery and reuse. Emerging circular practices were identified, including upcycling food waste into products such as juices, using agro-industrial by-products as animal feed, composting for soil amendment, and converting organic waste into biogas and energy. While these practices demonstrate potential for circularity, their implementation remains fragmented due to inadequate infrastructure, limited policy enforcement, and weak stakeholder coordination. The study highlights the critical role of integrated policy frameworks in scaling up circular food system practices. Policy interventions should prioritise improved waste segregation, incentives for waste valorisation, support for small- and medium-scale food processors and strengthened multi-stakeholder coordination to promote sustainable production and consumption patterns. This can, in the long term, enhance resource efficiency, reduce food insecurity, and foster resilient, climate-adaptive agro-food systems in Botswana and similar Global South contexts, thus achieving Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 12.
