Small scale farmer’s forum organization of Lesotho says it has noticed that the government is in the process of national reforms, where there are some departments which have been chosen as thematic areas that the government will focus on, but we as small scale farmer’s we are concerned because agriculture is not included as one of the thematic area. This was discussed during our conversation with the organization in Maseru on 11 December 2018, where the national chairperson who is also the secretary of the region Mamalefetsane Phakoe explained that African countries say agriculture is their backbone.
She showed that Lesotho is not an exemption in this but they are just surprised that agriculture is not included in the most important matters yet it is the one that is most important in one’s life than any other thing. Mrs. Phakoe says she believes that agriculture is the only thing that can take Lesotho out of its problems which are poverty, hunger and high unemployment rate. She showed that those areas that are going to be reformed are not going to take this country anywhere, because our understanding is we are doing this national reforms because there are things that are not right that need to be fixed.
If the Constitution of Lesotho needs to be reformed our understanding is that law is made for the people, and if it is meant to guide the people and criminal offences that include animal theft but agriculture not included it is still not going to change, because people will continue to steal says Phakoe. She showed that even if the law can be reformed when people still live in poverty and hunger animal theft will still continue. The aim of this organization is to be an eye opener and to bring hope to small holder farmer’s that they have the Power to make their needs and raised concerns to be included in all situations that deal with governmency from local to National government. She said she advises small holder farmer’s to be united with one voice so that they can be heard, they should use agriculture that is not harmful to the environment.
Phakoe says a farmer’s do not have to abuse the soil, they do not have to use the genetically modified seed and chemical fertilizers, because the use of gmo seeds and chemical fertilizers contribute to causing poverty in this country, Basotho nowadays do not produce but buy. Esaff was formed in 2002 after the conference of nations in Gauteng South Africa, where small holder farmer’s had their platform from 19 different countries from around the world, among them were Asia, Latin America, Lesotho and others. Lesotho was represented by people who were organized by Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) , it was in this conference where when small scale farmers were reporting about agriculture in their respective countries they discovered that most of the issues discussed are the same, they concluded that small holder farmers were not asked to give their views when the conference was going to be held, the head of states seemed to be more focused on commercial farmers that is why the small holder farmers were concerned.
Mrs. Phakoe mentioned that if in this country there are people who are said to be stunting and the government has asked for rice donations from China it is not going anywhere. She said a poor Mosotho has got only one thing in this country Land whether inherited or given to him/her by the Chief, the national reforms that put aside agriculture is a waste of time. She asked the youth of the country to get involved in agriculture issues because that is where jobs can be generated.
On that note the national coordinator of this organization says the basic human need is food which is made from agriculture, parlamentarians cannot sit in the parliament without eating, even the national reforms cannot be done on an empty stomach, but Lesotho is making itself a burger for donations from other countries when agriculture produce from this country carry life. She further said agriculture in this country is taken for granted to an extend that when a child as school has misbehaved he/she is told to go to the garden s a form of punishment making the child to dislike agriculture and this has to stop.
story by: Mathabang Fobo
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