Lesotho: Desertification Control Program - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 152

Forestry Department : To provide firewood, timber and poles by planting both
exotic and indigenous trees with aim to avert over cutting of indigenous trees and
shrubs. The annual target: 1.5 Million trees planted of which 45,000 are fruit trees.

Soil Conservation Department : to conserve soil and water and encourage minimum
tillage practices
Annual target: Dam construction (7) and Roof water and spring water tank
construction (65)

Range management : to train the public on good range management practices and
establishment of grazing associations. The annual target is to set up 20 grazing
associations/annum and re-seeding 20 grassland areas/annum.
On top of this the Government of Lesotho has engaged integrated watershed
management system through the Ministry of Forestry and Land Reclamation
(MoFLR), which started in 2002 in a participatory approach (Involvement of Rural
Communities).

3.1 Community Participation

For remedial works to control soil erosion being sponsored by governments or
other agencies for community operation and management, whether for agriculture
or water supply, it is essential to consult local people. Try to obtain a representative
view, not just that of landowners or important people in a community, but also those
who will be most directly affected or benefit from any dam, to determine their
needs and views. This is particularly important where the community is expected
to contribute towards the siting and construction (i.e. with the provision of land,
their labour and possibly local materials) operation and maintenance of the dam.
Responsible ownership of the dam and its catchment by the community, even if the
remediation work is to be built by an outside agency, is vital for future maintenance
and longevity of the structure.
Social and gender issues should be considered at this time and throughout the
design and construction process (Fig. 8.7 ). Men and women differ in their preference
and needs for water and will be affected differently when the dam is finished and
is storing water. It is important not to constrain the participation of women or the
poor in decision making, in membership of groups associated with the dam (and any
irrigation scheme) and in evaluating changes that will occur in workloads for men
and women following the introduction of the dam and its related infrastructure.
The objectives of the integrated watersheds program is to rehabilitate the heavily
degraded areas by:

1. Improvement of range lands
2. Reduction of soil erosion
3. Improvement of water quality
4. Improvement of soil moisture