Publication: Linking Smallholders to Markets: A Supplier Development Program for Vegetable Farmers in Lesotho
Date
2019
ISSN
Published
2019
Author(s)
Reva, Anna
Abstract
Agriculture plays a significant role in
Lesotho's economy. Lesotho is among the poorest
countries in Southern Africa, with fifty-seven percent of
the population living below the poverty line. About seventy
percent of the population lives in rural areas and depends
on agriculture for their livelihoods. Most farmers are
involved in subsistence cultivation of cereals, where the
country does not have a competitive advantage due to the
agroclimatic conditions, small farm size, and lack of
mechanization. This contributes to widespread poverty in
rural areas, which account for eighty-seven percent of the
poor. The objectives of this study are to: (1) assess the
demand for vegetables from formal buyers in Lesotho; (2)
examine the current production and marketing strategies of
commercial vegetable farmers; and (3) suggest the design of
the pilot supplier development program (SDP) to improve
formal market access for smallholder farmers. The focus of
this study is on Maseru, as it is the main center of demand
in the country. The rest of this paper is organized as
follows. Part 1 describes the demand for fresh produce and
sourcing strategies of buyers in Maseru. Part 2 discusses
the production and marketing practices of commercial
vegetable farmers. Part 3 outlines the design of the pilot SDP.
Citation
“Reva, Anna. 2019. Linking Smallholders to Markets; Linking Smallholders to Markets : A Supplier Development Program for Vegetable Farmers in Lesotho. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/32014 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”