Sentebale - Background To Lesotho

Background To Lesotho

Lesotho is a mountainous country, land- locked by South Africa. It has a land area of 30,300 square kilometers. Three quarters of the country is highland with a height more than 1,600m above sea level and a maximum height of 3,482m. There are mountain ranges in the east and running from north to south. In the center of Lesotho the two largest rivers in Southern Africa, the Senqu and the Tugela have their source on a high plateau.

In the lowlands continuous cultivation and the use of manure for fuel has led to leaching of soil nutrients. Soil erosion is a serious issue in Lesotho due to increasing human and livestock population pressure and heavy rainfall. The country has also been affected by severe droughts. The climate is variable with temperatures commonly dropping below zero in the highlands and reaching highs of 32 degrees celsius in the lowlands.

In recent years severe droughts followed by heavy rains have led to significant decreases in food production. The availability of the staple crop, maize, has dropped by 77% since 2011. This has led to severe food shortages.

A UN emergency appeal in 2012 indicated that a third of the population are affected by a food crisis. In addition levels of anemia and stunted growth in children under-5 are well above emergency international thresholds.