Climate Change Adaptation in Lesotho

Implementation: March 2009 - December 2011
Country: Lesotho

Food insecurity is considered a defining feature of poverty in Lesotho. The underlying root causes of the problem are clearly linked to low level agricultural productivity and crop failures. These issues are attributed to extreme events driven by climate change and variability and associated issues such as degradation of arable and rangelands, soil erosion and inefficient water control and management.The key biophysical and socio-economic problems associated with climate variability and change would be aggravated further by poor coordination and lack of institutional and technical capacity. Identification and analysis of some of the main institutional factors should be given adequate consideration.

This Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project promotes an integrated and community-based approach in addressing climate change risks through strengthening of technical and institutional capacity of key stakeholders at national and local levels and evaluating and prioritizing best practices focusing on selected areas of crops, livestock, forest-based livelihood system to reduce the vulnerability of farming and rural communities to climate change-related risks.  

The project identifies, evaluates and tests locally relevant adaptation options in selected areas of crop, livestock and forestry-based livelihood systems complementing the priority options suggested by Lesotho’s National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) on climate change. In this context, capacity building activities are recognized as an integral part of the project to address the critical gaps associated with climate risks and food insecurity. The project strengthened the technical capacity of the relevant government agencies at the national and district levels to address climate-related risks and adaptation strategies focusing on smallholders and subsistence farmers.