Agriculture is often called Lesotho’s economic backbone and key to food security, with successive governments having declared it a priority, recognising its potential to create jobs, reduce poverty, empower rural communities, and lower food import dependence.
Yet despite years of policy promises, strategic plans, donor-funded programmes, and public commitments, food security remains one of Lesotho’s most unresolved national challenges, with more than 258,000 people in rural areas (17 per cent of the population analysed) experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.
The country continues to rely heavily on imported food while local farmers struggle with poor infrastructure, limited financing, unreliable access to inputs, climate shocks, weak market systems and underdeveloped value chains.
This contradiction was at the centre of the recent fourth Public-Private Dialogue (PPD), where leaders assembled to confront the persistent gap between agricultural policy and real food security.
The PPD is a national platform that aligns stakeholders on practical strategies across sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing, and the dialogue focused on the practical, sector-based commitments, a programme of action and an implementation mechanism anchored in thematic working groups, including: Textile and Apparel, Agriculture and Food Security, and Tourism and Hospitality.
Amid optimism about agriculture’s promise, frustrations grew about the persistent gap between ambitious policies and practical results.
Participants repeatedly questioned why food security remains out of reach despite years of planning and research.
Discussions focused heavily on the urgent need to strengthen support for smallholder farmers, invest in climate-resilient farming systems, improve irrigation infrastructure, strengthen value chains, and create stronger market opportunities for local producers.
Stakeholders argued that agriculture has the potential not only to improve food availability, but also to become a major source of employment, industrialisation and long-term economic stability.
However, many warned that without coordinated implementation and sustained investment, the sector will continue failing to meet its potential.
Within this context, the Agriculture and Food Security Thematic Working Group focused on how Lesotho can move from subsistence farming toward commercial agricultural production capable of competing within regional markets.
Participants stressed that Basotho farmers must become active players in the country’s food economy rather than remaining side-lined by imports and weak production systems.
From the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Mokitinyane Nthimo said one of the major problems is not a lack of research or planning, but the failure to translate studies into practical action.
He explained that multiple analytical studies, value-chain assessments, and investment cases have already been developed for the sector.
However, investors continue to hesitate because they want to see visible implementation before committing resources.
The Secretary-General of the Horticulture Association of Lesotho, Nthunya Rasekoai, identified the country’s reliance on imported agricultural inputs as one of its biggest structural weaknesses.
He said local farmers remain heavily reliant on South Africa for seeds, fertilisers, chemicals, and other essential inputs, leaving Lesotho vulnerable to external market priorities and disruptions.
“We do not have control over our inputs. Every time we need them, we cross into South Africa, which in reality always prioritises its own people,” he said.
Rasekoai warned that the dependence creates a ripple effect across the entire agricultural value chain, charging, “We cannot expect them to prioritise what does not work for them,” he added.
He further stressed that improving agricultural productivity starts with securing reliable access to production inputs and water.
“A crucial thing in horticulture is water. For a good quality product, there needs to be water always, both in quality and quantity,” he said.
Rasekoai also called for support toward local manufacturers producing agricultural equipment and machinery, arguing that timing and access to the right tools are critical within farming systems.
“Let us take control of our inputs,” he said.
Director of Planning and Policy in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, Mabolaoana Phakisi, highlighted access to finance as another major obstacle limiting agricultural growth.
She said many farmers remain unable to invest in infrastructure such as storage facilities, irrigation systems, and modern production technologies because financing systems often fail to accommodate the realities of farming.
“If our farmers have access to finance, they can pool resources and build storage facilities,” she said.
Phakisi referred to the Smallholder Agriculture Development Project (SADP II), acknowledging that while some farmers failed to access support, financing mechanisms must become more responsive to farmers’ needs.
She also revealed that the government is in the process of introducing agricultural insurance to reduce sector-specific risks and improve producers’ resilience.
“It is not that commercial farming has declined,” she said, citing recent interventions such as the moratorium on egg imports as evidence of government support toward local producers.
She added that the government would continue supporting the private sector where necessary.
Panellists throughout the discussions argued that Lesotho’s agricultural advantage lies not in mass production, but in premium-quality products capable of securing niche markets.
Director of Marketing at the Ministry of Agriculture, Lekhooe Makhate, called for “complete” agricultural policies supported by meaningful implementation and adequate financing.
He warned that many agricultural policies fail because they are launched without the financial resources needed to implement them effectively.
Makhate argued that agriculture remains one of the country’s most sustainable economic sectors and employs more people than the textile industry.
“Let us not forget agriculture is still the backbone of the country’s economy. But it will depend on what we do with this,” he said.
He further argued that Lesotho has already conducted enough research on agriculture and that the country now needs action rather than additional studies.
“The country has been researched enough. What is left is implementation,” he said.
Makhate proposed that the same level of investment directed toward the textile industry should also be channelled into agriculture through the development of abattoirs, factory shells, processing infrastructure, and agricultural production clusters.
He expressed concern over the absence of poultry abattoirs in Lesotho, particularly following the closure of the government facility.
He also supported the introduction of tax incentives and the zoning of agricultural production areas equipped with infrastructure capable of supporting industrial-scale farming.
Chairperson of the United Manufacturers Association of Lesotho and founder of Nat’Effect, Arabang Mokokoane, echoed calls for stronger financing systems and policy reforms.
He argued that agriculture cannot grow without investment in infrastructure, technology, and working capital across the value chain.
According to Mokokoane, farmers should also reduce overreliance on government assistance and strengthen their ability to meet funding requirements set by financial institutions.
He further noted that Lesotho has already built a strong reputation for producing high-quality agricultural products.
Before strengthening the Ministry of Agriculture alone, Mokokoane argued that equal attention should also be directed toward environmental protection and pollinator systems, particularly bees, which play a crucial role in agricultural productivity.
The Secretary-General of the Potato Lesotho Association, Sekila Molapo, identified market connectivity, governance systems, and financial sustainability as key factors for attracting investment into agriculture.
“These are the things that impress investors,” he said.
Molapo further called for stronger farmer associations and cooperative systems capable of operating at a commercial scale.
He also praised savings and credit schemes within farming communities, saying they have proven effective in strengthening agricultural resilience.
“The government’s role is to create an enabling environment,” he said.
Recognising these ongoing challenges, the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP II) continues to position agriculture as a key pillar for economic transformation, food security, youth employment and climate resilience.
Nevertheless, the country’s food insecurity indicators remain deeply concerning, underscoring the disconnect between vision and reality.
Maize, Lesotho’s staple crop, reportedly accounts for approximately 50-60% of the average household’s caloric intake. However, the country’s maize production has reportedly decreased by 19%, according to the 2025 Annual Vulnerability Assessment Report. Exact baseline figures for national production output are not specified here.
Meanwhile, South Africa, which accounts for most of Lesotho’s food imports, recently reported maize production of over 17 million metric tonnes. This figure illustrates the large and growing production gap between Lesotho and its main import supplier.
Additional comparative data on Lesotho’s maize production output is not provided here.
The stakeholder thus increasingly argued that achieving food security will require more than policies and political speeches.
It will require long-term implementation, sustained investment, climate-smart innovation, functioning markets, infrastructure development, and above all, consistent political commitment toward local producers.
Until practical, coordinated implementation takes hold, food security will remain Lesotho’s most talked-about, yet least realised, national goal.