Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
with its lowest point being on average more than 1000 metres above sea level. While the
only modern city, namely Maseru, is situated in what is known as the low-lands, the rural
areas and farming areas are in the foothills and mountains where access difficulties are often
extreme. Despite a small land area of about 30,000 square kilometers, travel within the
country can be quite stressful and dangerous due to the high 'elevations and few safe roads'
(McNeil, 1996); one of the most charismatic monarchs of the kingdom died in a ghastly
road traffic accident in the country on 15 January 1996 (McNeil, 1996) and several high
government officials (including at least one government minister) have also met the same
fate within the last decade. The few paved roads are narrow and often poorly constructed
and pose serious danger to road users. It is therefore understandable that this study would
reveal strong influence of transportation on the way farmers felt about the profitability of
their farming activities.
The extension service of Lesotho is typical of the extension services in much of sub-Saharan
Africa where they face serious constraints of staffing and facilities as well as philosophical
orientation. There are frequent criticisms of the agricultural extension service in Lesotho
and for its failure to drive the necessary change in the farming populace, especially the rural
and resource poor (Mokone and Steyn, 2005). Expert opinion attributes the problem to
lack of the requisite skills for dealing with small farmer problems and the absence of the
infrastructure for managing the extension service, especially through training, providing
the right type of incentives to motivate staff, among other problems. As a result of these
problems, farmers are not receiving the guidance they need to apply new production
methods, adopt improved inputs and practices, and identify profitable enterprise
opportunities, especially in the horticulture sub-sector.
8.6 Conclusion
The current food shortages and attendant high prices have reminded policy about the
unresolved problems in many Southern African countries. The virtual collapse of the
agricultural sector in the small mountain kingdom of Lesotho is a cause for serious concern
for a country that continues to depend disproportionately on South Africa. As domestic
calls for improved service delivery become more and more strident in South Africa, its
ability to continue to carry its smaller neighbour is questionable. With the increased
devastation caused by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there is a natural anxiety to gain better
understanding about the causes of the problem and identify areas of flexibility on which
remedial actions can be anchored.
This study was designed to contribute to building better understanding about the
institutional constraints to horticulture production. Data was collected from smallholders
and gardeners in 5 of the 10 districts of the country and covered a wide range of demographic,
production and marketing variables some of which were subjected to econometric analysis
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