APPSA Lesotho conducts field days in Leribe and Mokhotlong districts

The Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) is a six-year research initiative funded by the World Bank with the intention to promote agricultural productivity through generation and dissemination of improved agricultural technologies. Under this collaborative programme, Lesotho is focusing on horticulture and horticulture-based farming systems while it’s counterpart Angola is focusing on cassava and cassava-based farming systems.

As part of showcasing and disseminating research work conducted by the scientists under APPSA, field days were held in regional research stations in Leribe and Mokhotlong districts on the 29th February and 1st March 2024, respectively.

Regional Centre of Leadership Coordinator, Ms Monica Lephole, said the purpose of the field days was to bring stakeholders together to share ideas and experiences, have inputs, comments and discussions regarding different APPSA research undertakings. She highlighted that the technologies being generated under APPSA are expected to benefit various stakeholders in different ways.

Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Mr Katleho Khatleli, expressed their gratitude to APPSA for inviting farmers to witness the technologies being generated. Mr Khatleli expressed farmers’ interest to follow-up the trial performances up to post-harvest stage to familiarize themselves with both the advantages and disadvantages of the different improved crop commodities.

Director of Field Services, Mr Thabo Sekhonyana, asserted that research is the primary activity for achieving high yields. He highlighted the importance of having highly knowledgeable and skilled scientists in the country’s Research division. Mr Sekhonyana also underlined the importance of maintaining strong research and extension linkages for the success of agriculture in Lesotho. He appealed to key stakeholders involved in agricultural technology generation and dissemination activities to avoid the silo mentality, which ends up compromising strategic national and regional initiatives like APPSA.

Speaking on behalf of the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, was Dr Lefulesele Lebesa. Dr Lebesa thanked the participants for availing themselves on the field day. Dr Lebesa reminded attendants of the Ministry’s mandate, which is to ensure food and nutrition security country wide. She indicated that the Ministry of Agriculture is promoting commercial agriculture, therefore, research should form the basis of satisfactory quantities and quality of yields.

Farmers, seed producers, extension officers, District Agricultural Officers, scientists, representatives of the management of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition as well as a number of other stakeholders participated in these events. The participants also had an opportunity to appreciate work done under infrastructure development through support from APPSA in Mahobong and Mokhotlong regional research stations.

Source: Department of Agricultural Research (DAR), Kingdom of Lesotho