Agriculture and food security in Lesotho: Government sponsored block farming programme in the Berea, Leribe and Maseru Districts

Abstract

This research paper attempts to investigate the contribution of block farming to assuring food security in households of block farmers. The study used both secondary and primary sources of information. The secondary data was collected from government documents, electronic resources as well as books. The primary data was obtained from farmers participating in both maize and wheat block farming in the selected areas. In addition, qualitative information was collected from government official responsible for block farming project. The results of the study are analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. The Lesotho government has implemented different agricultural programmes to increase production in agriculture since colonialism. Although many colonial rural development strategies in Lesotho focused more on preventing and controlling soil erosion, there were some agricultural development projects implemented in some parts of the country. The agricultural rural development programmes implemented in Lesotho since colonialism were meant to reduce poverty and improve the living standards of people. And block farming is one of such agricultural development projects. Block farming is not a new agricultural rural development project in Lesotho. Block farming project was introduced under Senqu River Valley Integrated Rural Development Project in the 1970s. The idea was to increase food production among Basotho farmers. This agricultural initiative was revived in the New Millennium. The government of Lesotho entered into sharecropping with subsistence farmers through block farming programme. The purpose of government was to reduce poverty by increasing agricultural food production in the country.

Keywords

• agriculture
• block farming
• food security
• poverty
• rural development