Botswana has an entrenched negative attitude that associates communal rangeland ownership
and management to inefficiency and rangeland degradation. Thus a number of land reform
policies that promote conversion of communally held rangelands to private ownership
(associated with increased productivity and protection of range resources) have been and are
being implemented. The study was conducted in Area 4B, a block of privately owned ranches in
Central Botswana. The study administered questionnaires to ranch owners and collected primary
data and secondary data from informal discussions with officials; cattle post owners and other
key informants. The extent of infrastructural development in these ranches is evaluated using
respondents’ wealth, income, education Livestock numbers and main economic activities.
Ecological variability is also used in the analysis elucidate reasons for continued practice of
traditional management methods in the private ranches. The empirical results indicate that
development statuses are very low and ranch development is driven by both socio-economic
and environmental factors. Absentee ownership is widespread. Indications are also that the
process of ranch allocation, which is determined by personal attributes, affords the wealthy
opportunities to alienate the poorer members of the economy, resulting in socio economic
inequalities. The concentration of government in allocating private rights, as a way of improving
productivity and environmental protection is flawed because it emphasises economic gains over
social equity issues. It ignores evidence that communal rangelands are multi functional and a
source of livelihood for highly differentiated resource users. The under-development of
allocated ranches suggests that there are issues more urgent than holding title to land.