“You have bigger power when you are more”

Lesotho, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been in the global news lately when it found itself in the crosshairs of the United States’ trade policy. 

As if the small country of 2.3 million in the south of Africa did not already have enough challenges to overcome: “The country’s rugged, mountainous terrain makes infrastructure development and agricultural productivity difficult,” the World Bank reports. The OPEC Fund’s “Regeneration of Landscape and Livelihood Project” (ROLL) is tackling these key issues. 

Although over 70 percent of the rural workforce engage in agriculture, the limited availability of arable soil and the loss of fertile ground pose a serious concern. Approximately 50 percent of the population live below the poverty line, says the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and almost 250,000 rural people are experiencing acute food insecurity. The landlocked country is economically largely dependent on the Republic of South Africa, which entirely surrounds it. 

The ROLL project is regenerating 17 areas in selected regions aiming to create sustainable livelihoods. Designed and co-financed by IFAD, the US$46 million project builds on a bottom-up approach that engages and incentivizes the local population. What starts at the grassroots is envisioned to become a larger movement: “We are trying to bring small communities together because you have bigger power when you are more,” says Sonia Siserova, the OPEC Fund’s Portfolio Manager for Lesotho. “Making it bigger means making it more sustainable.” 

Once fully implemented the project, which is also supported by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), the Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will reach around 1,000 villages and directly serve 100,000 people corresponding to 68,000 rural households. Indirectly, the project will benefit approximately 340,000 people. Out of these, 40 percent will be women and 20 percent young people who are expected to particularly profit from the creation of new income generating activities. 

After the signing in May 2022 the project is now gradually being rolled out. A lot of effort goes into local capacity building and knowledge sharing to ensure the local population’s buy-in. “The response has been very positive and we are progressing well,” said Ms. Siserova. Many rural residents are dependent on subsistence farming. Adopting new techniques that secure the most effective and efficient use of limited resources is essential for. This is not always easy: “We have technology today that our forefathers did not have. This should not stop us from using it,” Ms. Siserova recommended. 

Finalization of the project is scheduled for 2028. ROLL is but one example of the OPEC Fund’s ongoing support for Lesotho. To date, total approvals stand at US$149.5 million, with a focus on water and agriculture projects.