24 THE RIGHTS TO FOOD AND WATER can put pressure on governments; lobbying and legal procedures, as well as activist tactics such as grassroots mobilization and education campaigns can also be effective. Ultimately, the goal should be to engage in a constructive dialogue with all parties to bring about change. Campaigning and advocacy should aim to generate awareness among minorities and indigenous communities in an effort to ensure they contribute to decisionmaking processes that affect them. Insisting on a rights-based approach (RBA) can be useful in this regard. The RBA is based on international human rights standards with emphasis on non-discrimination, participation and accountability, while paying particular attention to the different ability of people and groups to exercise their rights depending on whether they are in positions of vulnerability or empowerment. Case study – Indigenous peoples in Botswana The San (Basarwa) are hunters and gatherers who travel in small family bands within defined territories. They hunt antelope, but their daily diet consists more of the fruits, nuts and roots which they seek out in the desert, and water from underground water sources. Hunting is a crucial part of their cultural heritage. When the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) was created in 1961 one of its objectives was to protect the food supplies of the existing Bushmen (San) population in the area. In the 1970s, the government of Botswana attempted to persuade the San to live in permanent settlements within the reserve, where services like water, education and health care could be easily provided. Later, it terminated essential services, to get them to move to settlements outside the reserve. The government justified its relocation policy by claiming that the San deplete the natural resources of the reserve; that providing services to the CKGR is too expensive; or that it is ensuring development and seeking to enhance their living standards. The former CKGR residents are unable to adapt to the new surroundings; they can no longer use their traditional knowledge and are exposed to changes in their diet and way of life which have led to malnutrition. The water quality is deteriorating, resulting in higher incidence of diarrhoea in children. Because the people have no means of subsistence, there is an increased dependency on the state for food relief and cash-for-work programmes. The Basarwa and other indigenous peoples have responded by mobilizing, demonstrating and establishing their own advocacy groups (First People of Kalahari – FPK and Working Group for Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa – WIMSA). They have formed a negotiating team comprising representatives of the San people in CKGR as well as the FPK, WIMSA and the Botswana Centre for Human Rights