News
Agricultural Insurance, A Lifeline for Lesotho Farmers, Feasibility Study Shows
By Lerato Matheka Lesotho’s farmers may soon have the safety net they have long been waiting for. A newly completed feasibility study on agricultural insurance has revealed both the urgent need and the possibility of rolling out tailored insurance schemes to protect farmers against climate shocks, livestock disease, and market losses. According to the Feasibility…
SMARTD’s 11th Festival Rekindles Basotho’s Bond with the Land,
…Celebrates Seeds of Heritage The small town of Ha-Sekake in the Qacha’s Nek districtcame alive with colour, sound, and hope. Farmers, school children, conservationists, and academics marched through the streets, their banners dancing in the breeze, their Sesotho poems echoing ancestral wisdom. They were not marching for politics or protest, but for seeds, the humble…
Counting the Hidden Deaths: Climate Change, Health and Food Crisis
When Mafeteng Hospital ran out of water between November 2024 and March 2025, surgeries were postponed, wards went unwashed, and patients with open wounds left at risk of infection. Nurses whispered their frustration as families were told to fetch buckets of water from tanker trucks, and doctors lamented that they could not wash their hands…
Africa’s Warming Crisis: The State of the Environment Report Rings the Alarm
…Lesotho’s Wake-Up Call and The Lessons of Mafeteng’s Water Crisis Between November 2024 and March 2025, Mafeteng district in Lesotho lived through one of its harshest crises in memory, a reality that Africa is no longer waiting for climate change, it is living it. Prolonged drought and blistering heat left dams in Mafeteng nearly…
Africa’s Future Lies in Bioeconomy, Says Scientist
Africa must not resign itself to being a victim of climate change but instead turn its natural resources into a powerful driver of sustainable development through a bioeconomy. This was the message delivered by Professor Kassahun Tesfaye, Director-General of the Bio and Emerging Technology Institute, during the launch of The State of Africa’s Environment 2025…
Farmers Pitso Awards Introduces a New Category
For generations, horses in Lesotho have been more than animals. They were once indispensable for transport and farm labour but while machinery has replaced many of their traditional roles, horses are now finding new life in sports, recreation, and cultural heritage. At this year’s Farmers Pitso Awards, that legacy was formally honoured with the introduction…
Seahlolo Newspaper Honors Best Schools in Agriculture at Farmers’ Pitso Awards
Seahlolo Newspaper once again demonstrated its commitment to building the future of Lesotho’s farming by honoring schools that excel in agriculture during the Farmers’ Pitso Awards earlier this month. A total of M10,000 was awarded to support school gardening tools, with Qhomane High School taking first prize, Mohale’s Hoek High School second, and Ratsoeu High…
Lesotho Hosts First National Agricultural Trade Fair
Lesotho celebrated a historic milestone in agriculture this month, hosting its very first national agricultural trade fair, themed “Strengthening market systems and value chain linkages for inclusive agriculture.” The event, a collaborative effort between the government, Smallholder Agriculture Development Project II (SADP II), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP),…
Lesotho Post Bank Strengthens Ties with Farmers at 2025 Agricultural Trade Fair
At this year’s Agricultural Trade Fair 2025, one of the busiest stalls was that of Lesotho Post Bank, where farmers crowded to learn more about the bank’s growing range of agricultural finance products. The fair, which brought together farmers, government agencies, agribusinesses, and financial institutions, offered Lesotho Post Bank a platform to explain how it…
Lesotho Post Bank’s Tailored Agriculture Loans for Boost Farmers
By Seabata Mahao Lesotho Post Bank has announced a wide-ranging package of agriculture loans designed to meet the financial needs of both smallholder and commercial farmers, to strengthen food security and support agribusiness growth across the country. Speaking to Seahlolo, Lebona Leokaoke, Relationship Manager for Agriculture at PostBank, explained that the initiative is about more…
SADP II Turns Orchard Struggles into a Thriving Mixed Farming Enterprise
By Seahlolo Reporters Machache Farm is a growing agricultural enterprise that started on the back of retrenchment. Owned by Makhaola Sibolane, the farm is an epitome of mixed farm practice excellence. With the boost of the Smallholder Agriculture Development Project (SADP II) grant, Machache Farm is a place of thriving orchards, vegetable plots and community…