Lesotho’s Department of Agricultural Research Trains Farmers on Seed Production

02 Oct 2023

Sixteen farmers from Quthing district were trained on seed production by the Seed Development Unit (SDU) of the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) from the 18th to 22nd September 2023. The training, which was held at Mokanametsong under Tele Resource Centre in the Quthing district and led by head of SDU, Mrs Marankoe Selikane, focused mainly on maize and beans seed production.

The training workshop was officially opened by Quthing District Agricultural Officer (DAO), Mrs Mamokhoebi Mokuoane, who expressed her gratitude to DAR for considering farmers for the training as food production has, to a relatively large extent, been affected by lack of access by farmers to affordable and high-quality inputs such as seeds. She encouraged the farmers to take the training seriously and acquire necessary skills so that enough seed is produced for the farming community.

It is worth noting that the training was conducted as one of the key activities under the Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA). APPSA is a six-year World Bank funded initiative focusing on generation and dissemination of improved technologies through collaborative implementation of Research and Development (R&D) sub-projects. APPSA is also encouraging the dissemination of shelved technologies to farmers and other relevant consumers of such technologies.

The purpose of the training was to equip farmers with appropriate skills for seed production as it is apparent that the imported seed subsidized by the Lesotho government does not meet farmers' requirements. According to Mr Tsebang Lebata from the Department of Crops (DOC) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, the government of Lesotho spends heavily on seed importation. The government has since realized the need to support local production of seed for farmers in Lesotho.

Key topics that were covered during the training included differentiating between seed and grain, characteristics of seed growers, seed sampling & quality control, Seed processing, Seed testing & Certification, Maize & bean seed production techniques, Maize & bean agronomic characteristics, Pests (insect, weeds, diseases) management & sample collection, Weed & pest identification, soil health, soil fertility & sampling as well as record keeping & market analysis. The participants also had hands-on sessions on seed and soil sampling as well as record keeping. Similar training was conducted in November 2022 for twenty (20) farmers under Peka and Hlotse resource centres in Leribe district. In Berea and Maseru districts similar training will be conducted in October and November 2023, respectively.

Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Mr Napo Taunyana, expressed their gratitude to DAR and the facilitators for the invaluable and enriching training. He indicated that the training was long overdue as many of their counterparts were struggling to acquire good quality seed, hence experiencing unsatisfactory yields. Mr Taunyana asserted that they are eager to produce quality seed and contribute to increased maize and bean yields in Lesotho.

Present during the training workshop were the District Crop Production Officer, Tele Area Extension Officer, Area Technical Officer (Crops) together with Agricultural Assistants. The workshop was facilitated by scientists from the DAR (SDU & Soils), Department of Crops, Department of Marketing, APPSA-Lesotho Technician and lastly APPSA Technology Dissemination Officer who presented the overview of APPSA to the participants.