Which type of commercial farming is Practised in Lesotho?
The Machobane Farming System developed by Dr Machobane is one of the farming systems in Lesotho with high adaptability and resilience to climate change because of its convenient practice and disseminative traditional knowledge to the farmers using existing natural resources (Robertson, 1994).
Is Lesotho suitable for agriculture?
Lesotho’s primary crops are corn (maize), beans, wheat, sorghum, and peas. Droughts have had a devastating effect and destroyed many summer harvests and livestock. The mountainous terrain means that only 10% of the land can be cultivated. Despite this, Lesotho’s economy is largely dependent on agriculture.
What is machobane?
The Machobane Farming System is a simple, low-input technique based on the intercropping and localized application of organic manures.
Why is vegetable production low in Lesotho?
Local extension officers and input service providers lack knowledge on greenhouse vegetable cultivation, and there are no microbiological facilities in Lesotho, which makes it difficult to identify plant diseases.
What crops are grown in Lesotho?
The three major cereal crops maize, sorghum and wheat are grown in different agro-ecological zones, namely, the lowlands, foothills, mountains, and the Orange River Valley (Senqu) in Lesotho.
What is block farming in Lesotho?
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.
How agriculture is affected in Lesotho?
Environmental challenges affecting agriculture in Lesotho include overgrazing, erosion, land degradation as a result of floods and droughts, and threats of climate change.
Can rice grow in Lesotho?
The annual growth in value of Lesotho rice between 2017 to 2018 was -45.455 per cent. The annual change in the volume of Lesotho’s rice exports between 2017 and 2019 was 76.74% when compared to a variation of 216.667% in the growth rate between 2018 and 2019.
Which are the main foods grown and harvested and eaten in Lesotho?
In Lesotho the three main food crops grown are maize, wheat and sorghum.
What can I plant in January in Lesotho?
The winter is the dry season in Lesotho, and during winter the snowfall can usually support winter crops of wheat and pea. The vegetables that are surviving the cold weather in the garden centre garden beds are peas, wheat, radish, cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic and alfalfa.
Why does Lesotho have food insecurity?
Lesotho is experiencing a major food security crisis as a result of the El-Niño induced drought. The situation has been made worse by successive years of crop failures, low incomes and high food prices that mean that 41 percent of rural families are spending over half their income on food.
What month do you plant potatoes in Lesotho?
The climatic conditions of Lesotho, of warm summers and cold winters, allow for only one production season throughout the whole country. Potato is grown as a summer crop and planting can start anytime from mid-September to December, al- though there is a risk of late frost incidence up to the beginning of October.