Tswelopele Secular Soybean & Silo Storage Initiative

Group: Francistown Humanist Collective

Location: Tshesebe Village, near Francistown, North-East District, Botswana

Members: Lesedi Molefe, Neo Mokgosi, Amantle Seretse, Mpho Khama, Tebogo Ditlhokwe, Lorato Phane, Kagiso Sethoko, Kealeboga Tau, Thabo Nsingo, Bakang Sebina

What does humanism mean to you?

To us, humanism means recognizing that our well-being and progress rest firmly in our own hands. Having transitioned from relying on prayer during severe droughts to actively digging our own communal borehole, humanism is the practice of compassion, reason, and collective effort to solve real-world problems without waiting for supernatural intervention. It is the conviction that ethical action, empathy, and evidence-based solutions are all we need to build a resilient, supportive community.

Project Description

The Tswelopele Secular community farm aims to expand our agricultural operations into a dedicated soybean plantation while constructing a low-cost, rodent-proof local storage silo in Tshesebe Village. Building on our existing gravity-fed borehole infrastructure, this $500 start-up grant from HuMAN will fund drought-resistant soybean seed stock, low-cost masonry materials (cement blocks, corrugated sheeting, and sealant) to erect a 1.5-tonne brick-and-mortar storage silo, soil amendments, and a drip-irrigation pipeline expansion. Our 10 core members will manage field cultivation, threshing, and silo construction, producing high-protein crops to combat local malnutrition while securing post-harvest grain reserves to protect village markets from seasonal price spikes.

Budget

High-Yield Soybean Seed Stock (50kg Bag): $110 — Agrichem Botswana Seed Supplies [http://www.agrichem.co.bw/seeds]

Silo Construction Materials (Cement, Bricks, Mesh, Metal Door & Sealant): $180 — Builders Warehouse Botswana [https://www.builders.co.za/botswana]

Drip Irrigation & Piping Extension Kit (100m): $135 — Choppies Hardware & Agrochemicals [https://choppiesgroup.com/agricultural-supplies]

Bio-Inoculants & Soil Organic Conditioner (50kg): $75 — Sebele Crop Products Botswana [http://www.sebelecrops.co.bw/products]

Total: $500

Expected Income from Project, with Timeline

Months 1–2 (Planting & Silo Construction Phase): $0 income (Focus on field cultivation, planting soybean crops, and erecting the brick storage silo).

Month 3 (Harvest & Storage Phase): $0 direct sales (Harvesting, drying, and depositing 80% of soybean yield into the local storage silo for post-harvest preservation).

Months 4–5 (Strategic Batch Sales): Estimated $280 from supplying stored high-protein soybeans to nearby school caterers, poultry farmers, and local market vendors at 20 BWP ($1.50 USD) per kg.

Month 6 onwards (Ongoing Cycle): Projecting a steady $220–$280 per month in net revenue from managed grain distribution, establishing a permanent fund to acquire additional land and support secular literacy drives. Benefits to your Community Food Security & Nutrition: Delivers affordable, plant-based protein (soybeans) to roughly 60 low-income households while protecting food reserves from pests via the community silo.

Practical Secular Demonstration: Serves as a visible proof of concept to local youth that tangible progress, food security, and post-harvest engineering stem from human collaboration and rational action.

Economic Empowerment: Generates sustained revenue to fund local literacy initiatives and provide emergency support for individuals transitioning out of high-control religious groups.