Vegetables production in dire drought

Monday, February 29, 2016

It has been months without the rain. The intensity of the heat resulting from the recently declared El Nino has scotched off even the little moist that was in the ground across the country.

Most villagers across the country are stranded for food because they are not able to grow anything from their gardens nor fields. The Australian funded Maphutseng Area Development Program (ADP) is not an exception.

“I have come to buy a handful of spinach,” says Tšitso (9) to the man who sells vegetables in his centre. Tšitso is one the 2, 500 vulnerable children registered with World Vision Lesotho Maphutseng ADP. He is sponsored by World Vision Australia. 

Tšitso has travelled more than two kilometers from his village through a rough mountainous terrain to buy some vegetables for supper. He has been sent by his grandmother who is not able to travel long distances, her knees are not able to carry her.

Thankfully drops of rain are falling, for the second time today. These have made Tšitso’s two kilometres journey bearable up the hills down and down through the valley on his way to Maphutseng’s only vegetable suppliers. 

The challenge of a long and rough terrain does not deter Tšitso from buying vegetables at the Maphutseng’s Senekane Agricultural Association (SAA). “It is cheaper buying from here than going to town. I only spend $0.54 to buy a handful of spinach, 

“If we did not have this production in my neigbourhood, I would have spent $0.77 return transport to town and $1.49 to purchase a matching head of cabbage in town,” Tšitso explains while constantly wiping off the drops rain on his face with the back of his palm.

Tšitso’s family has been surviving on growing crops from their fields since her grandother retired three years ago. In a bid to curb the weight of drought at home, Tšitso’s mother left to do domestic work in South Africa.

“We are grateful for the production that goes on here. We grow butternut, tomatoes, spinach and green pepper to feed nine villages surrounding Ha Senekane with vegetables,” says Rasehlomeng ‘Musa, a salaried greenhouse caretaker. 

“I am one of the people who have been trained by World Vision Lesotho, Maphutseng ADP to grow and take care of vegetables using a greenhouse,” Musa says with pride. He is also a member of SAA

SAA is a 20 member association of Ha Senekane in Maphutseng ADP, registered in 2014 with the aim of rearing broilers and ploughing in the fields to take care of the orphaned and vulnerable at Ha Senekane. 

Following the training ‘Musa had, World Vision Lesotho provided SAA with a greenhouse for their vegetables production. “We received the greenhouse in October 2015. It has helped us produce far better than we did in the past,” he explained. 

Other than the greenhouse ‘Musa said World Vision has also provided them with a tank which they used to store from a reservoir, up the slope, for watering the plants. “Some unknown people came and punctured holes into the tank beyond repair,” Musa says of the challenges SAA faced since they started.

They have since hired a security guard whose job is to watch over a house constructed by the members of SAA for rearing the chicken, as well as the greenhouse provided by World Vision for vegetables production.

“We have grown tomatoes, green pepper, butternut, and spinach. We are presently only selling tomatoes and spinach. A handful of spinach is $0.54, one tomato at the size of a man’s fist at $ 0.12. We are yet to determine the prices of green pepper and butternut when they are ripe,” Musa conluded.