Dr Patrick Mashiqa

Dr. P. Mashiqa is a Senior Research Fellow at the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN). He holds a BSc in Agricultural Education (2000), an MSc in Crop Science (2010), and a PhD in Crop Science- Agronomy (2020), all from BUAN.

He teaches Courses in the field of Crop Physiology and Agronomy, and Supervise undergraduate and graduate students. He is a notable Botswana National Research Excellence Award Winner 2023, and research on agronomic aspects of crops aiming to release resilient drought tolerant varieties to farmers in Botswana in support of Ministry of Lands and Agriculture Programs of Lemang Dijo and the Impact Accelerator Subsidy (IAS).Research on various crops, including cereals( wheat, maize, sorghum, millet, rice), Horticultural crops (safflower, sweet potatoes, Iris potato, thepe, tumeric, ginger), Oil and legumes (beans, groundnuts, mungbean. In collaboration with an international company, I successfully pitched an agricultural export and value-chain development initiative targeting EU markets for high-value crops produced by farmers in Botswana and Zimbabwe, with a consultancy portfolio valued at over BWP 70 million. The initiative is expected to drive job creation for Batswana, including BUAN graduates, and aligns strongly with the University’s mandate for BUAN staff impact in support of Botswana Vision objectives.

In response to local farmers’ business needs, I led consultancy services for the design and implementation of a new farm business model focused on high-value export crops, with a total investment value exceeding BWP 100 million, strengthening commercial viability and market access for local producers.