Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
8. Obstacles to the profitable production and marketing of
horticulture products in Lesotho: an offset-constrained probit
modelling of farmers' perception
Ajuruchukwu Obi and Litsoanelo Mphahama
Abstract
While Lesotho's agriculture stopped being a source of government revenue more than a
century ago, it still fulfilled important household subsistence needs. But even that limited
role is threatened as farm sizes and participation rates contract even further in the face of a
multitude of factors. At the same time, Lesotho's population, especially those residing in the
lone modern metropolis, Maseru, continues to be more sophisticated, with consumption
patterns that are comparable to those in other modern economies. Why is the country's
agricultural sector not rising to the occasion to meet the needs of the growing urban
population? The preamble and foreword to the Vision 2020 document tried to address
this question but they remain inconclusive. What are the reasons for the poor performance
of horticultural products in Lesotho despite growing demand for the products worldwide
and in the country? Are there important non-price factors that we should take into account
in deciding on appropriate policies for revitalizing the farm sector in a country where few
alternative opportunities for employment exist? These were some of the questions this
chapter set out to address by examining production and marketing decisions and results
in four of Lesotho's ten districts during 2009. There are indications that property rights,
the agricultural extension service and the condition of the physical infrastructure may be
crucial elements in finding answers to these problems. The results particularly point to the
difficulties in accessing markets and land which remain important institutional constraints
to horticulture production and marketing in Lesotho. Recommendations are made for these
issues to be incorporated into the Vision 2020 process, among other processes underway to
address the growing national food insecurity and enhance livelihoods in general.
8.1 Introduction and problem context
Lesotho is a small, predominantly mountainous enclave country, entirely landlocked by
South Africa. It is one of the poorest countries in the world with an economy dependent
mainly on livestock-based agriculture and remittances from the export of labour services to
South Africa. In the late 1990s, water from the massive Lesotho Highlands Water Project
(LHWP), emerged as an important source of national budget revenue as the country began
to export the commodity to South Africa. The country's mountain grasslands on the eastern
boundary with South Africa are very rich in biodiversity.
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