Ntsoaki Motaung
At the celebration of Lesotho’s Bicentenary and 58th Independence last Friday, His Majesty King Letsie III, who has served as the African Union (AU) Nutrition Champion since 2014, highlighted the ongoing challenges the country faces regarding nutrition.
In his role, King Letsie III has raised awareness about the severe levels of malnutrition across Africa.
The King addressed the pressing issues of hunger, poverty, disease, and climate change, noting how these crises threaten to undo the progress made over the past century.
“In Lesotho, climate change exacerbates environmental degradation, impacting agriculture, water resources, and energy supplies, leading to food shortages that have forced the government to declare a state of emergency in food security,” he said.
He reaffirmed his commitment to addressing these challenges, stating that he and the government are dedicated to seizing every opportunity to promote greater self-sufficiency in Lesotho.
As the country marks its Bicentenary, the King emphasised that every Mosotho with access to farming land has a responsibility to actively participate in initiatives that promote food security and agriculture, aiming for national independence in this area.
He acknowledged the government’s readiness, through the Ministry of Agriculture, to support and guide the public in these efforts.
King Letsie III also praised the ministry for its outstanding work in promoting food security, particularly through community nutrition clubs that produce agricultural products essential for good nutrition.
“Nutrition clubs support my work as the United Nations Nutrition Champion,” King Letsie III said, highlighting the critical role nutrition plays in disease prevention.
He urged all Basotho to take immediate action to improve nutrition across the country.
Meanwhile, the Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment findings revealed that approximately 700,000 people, a third of the population, are currently food insecure, with over 400,000 in rural areas and more than 290,000 in urban areas.
World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director and Representative Aurore Rusiga noted that all ten districts of Lesotho are expected to be in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Crisis Level 3 or worse from October 2024 to March 2025.
In response, the Government declared a national food insecurity disaster, effective from July 12, 2024, to March 31, 2025, and has called on multi-sectoral partners and stakeholders to support efforts to combat the crisis.
