Nicola Robins and Niall Campbell travel into the hearts of Botswana and Limpopo to find out what the elders say.

As we wound our way to the house of the old rainmaker in Botswana, we grew excited at the thought of an untapped network of professionals who might know the right medicine for climate change. We arrived, greeted and soon learnt that the rainmakers had long since given up making rain. When we asked why, the old man laughed as if it was obvious. “Nobody actually makes rain. Rain simply comes when the land is right.” He stared out across the dusty village.