Helping Lesotho's Agriculture

September 1982

中文

Lesotho is hilly and lacks forests. Conditions are therefore not favorable to agriculture.

When we arrived at the airport in Maseru, we were met by Chang Ping-nan, the Republic of China's ambassador to Lesotho, his secretary Yang Ching-tien, and Su Tsung-ching, leader of the ROC agricultural mission to Lesotho. Lesotho has a population of 1.2 million in an area less than Taiwan's and is totally surrounded by South Africa.

As we only had two and a half days in Lesotho our schedule was tight. Accompanied by mission leader Su and secretary Yang, we left the tiny airport and headed directly to Leride Province where corn and vegetables are being grown.

On the way, we interviewed Yang, who is an outstanding diplomat. Although he does not have an agricultural background, years of working with the ROC agricultural mission in Lesotho have made him an expert. Yang began the interview by introducing Lesotho:

"Lesotho was a British enclave until it became independent in 1960. It has always been an agricultural country, and conditions are still inadequate. The topography is hilly, with only 400,000 hectares of arable land, some 12 percent of the country's total area. Because it is a land-locked country on a high plain, temperature variations between seasons, or even day and night, are great. The distance from the sea also ensures that rainfall is uneven. Moreover, forestry and water conservation are not well developed.

We could see from the window of the car what these limitations mean for Lesotho's agriculture. One thing we noticed was the barren mountains, long stripped bare of trees for firewood.

"The traditional land tenure system is an impediment to the development of agriculture," continued secretary Yang. "Tribal chiefs own the land, and tribesmen are tenant farmers. Although they keep the produce of the land, the farmers pay little attention to soil conservation because they do not own it. The area of arable land is increasing, but productivity is not.

Secretary Yang drew our attention to the many children on the road side tending cattle and sheep. "Livestock is an important part of agriculture in Lesotho. Children usually begin tending animals at the age of five or six. When the boys reach 18 or 19 they go to work for higher wages as miners in South Africa. Thus, public servants are mostly women, and farmers are old people and children. The government has been trying to improve the farmers' incomes by developing new cultivation techniques which it is hoped will attract young people back to the land.

The ROC agriculture mission is helping with this effort. A project to boost production of maize and sorghum by 50,000 tons a year within five years was drawn up when Premier Sun Yun-suan toured Africa in 1980.

The traditional method of cultivation in Lesotho is simply to scatter seeds and wait until they grow. At one time, each hectare of land yielded only 0.9 metric tons of maize. Since the implementation of the grain self-sufficiency program in 1980 by ROC agricultural experts, this has been boosted to five tons a hectare through the use of improved seeds and fertilizer.

In the first year of the program, 500 hectares were included in the scheme, but popular demand soon increased this to 2,100 hectares. Now in its second year, the program has already achieved the goal set for the third year.

"The popularity of the program is gratifying," said secretary Yang, "but we are having difficulty keeping up with the workload."

Currently the ROC agricultural mission is working in three different parts of Lesotho, with 49 specialists stationed at 22 outposts.

During the past 13 years, the mission's activities have been constantly changing. At first, tribal chieftains and government officials cooperated with the mission, but gradually ordinary farmers were able to accept its ideas.

"When we first arrived in Lesotho," said Yang, "we knew very little about local conditions and we made a few mistakes. Now we have accumulated considerable experience, and are able to work effectively. We have 130 hectares planted with cabbage. Although this is not much, high productivity means that we can supply 40 percent of the country's needs for this most popular vegetable."

"Several industrial nations also have agricultural missions in Lesotho," said mission leader Su. "Their high technology approach to agriculture is not appropriate, however. You cannot learn to run before you can walk. Besides, the methods of farming here are completely different to those in Europe or America."

Because the mission's 22 outposts are scattered all over Lesotho, we spent quite some time in the car. At each station we visited we were warmly received by ROC technicians. Unfortunately, some outposts with only a single technician were so remote that we were unable to visit them. We hope that this report will let them know that their hard work is appreciated.

[Picture Caption]

An agricultural technician from the Republic of China instructing a farmer in Lesotho on how to use a tractor.

1. Healthy crops grown under the mission's guidance. 2. Wild cabbages are the favorite vegetable in Lesotho. 3. Agricultural mission members get on well with Lesotho farmers. 4. Lesotho is hilly and lacks forests. Conditions are therefore not favorable to agriculture.

1. A Lesotho farm family with typical farmhouse in the background. 2. Sorghum is one of the staple crops in Lesotho. 3. Mission leader Su pictured with a Lesotho farmer in a cornfield. 4. Cornfield at sunset. 5.6. Besides agriculture, livestock is important to Lesotho's economy. Most of the animals are tended by children.

1. Wool and leather products are a specialty in Lesotho. 2. Mission leader Su with the deputy mission leader and a station chief. 3. An autumn scene in Lesotho. 4. Young Lesothan goatherds. 5. A mission member surveys an area to be opened up to cultivation.