How cash assistance promotes food diversity and entrepreneurship in Lesotho
In December 2015, the Government of Lesotho declared a state of emergency due to the drought caused by El Nino which devastated harvests in 2015 and 2016. With the support of ECHO and other donors, the World Food Programme (WFP) was able to launch an emergency operation which, between March 2016 and June this year, reached some 200,000 food-insecure people with cash assistance.
Mrs. Mantlalane Ramotobo (83) from foothills of Maseru district in Maama Community Council and St. Michaels village lives with 3 grandchildren orphans. She suffers from ulcers and has difficulty in walking. ’’ I had been a burden to the neighbours because each day I was asking for food to feed my grandchildren. Since the beginning of cash assistance I have been receiving 500 Maluti every month and was able to buy maize meal, cooking oil and vegetable seeds during the time of desperation.“ She said. The community at St. Michaels’ village had identified Mrs. Mantlalane’s household, who had nothing from own production because of the El Nino drought, as the most vulnerable during the community self-targeting exercise. She had been using her old age pension to pay school fees for one of her grandchildren, as a result buying food for the household became very difficult.
Mrs. Mantlalane used part of the cash assistance to buy vegetable and maize seeds and hired animals to help her plant a food garden. Now she no longer needs to buy vegetables from the shop and uses money generated from selling her maize to street vendors in Maseru to pay for other household necessities like medication, clothing, and other types of nutritious foods enabling this grandmother to improve the household’s food diversification and nutritional intake.
Donated cash by ECHO, through WFP relief assistance, has become a capital source for Mrs Mantlalane who will now be able to continue with her business and have food for the household at the end of relief aid.
With cash assistance from WFP, skipping meals to make ends meet is a thing of the past, the family now enjoy three nutritious meals per day.
While WFP is assisting people affected by the El-Niño drought with cash assistance, land degradation in Lesotho continues to be a major concern that threatens biodiversity and agricultural productivity, which in turn exacerbates food insecurity. That is why, thanks to additional funding from ECHO, WFP is working to support the government and communities on both water and land management to help them cope with drought and prevent further water and land erosion. By building the resilience of vulnerable communities, the programme aims to improve livelihoods and the food security situation at household and community level.
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