World Bank2012-03-192012-03-192010-06-01https://hdl.handle.net/10986/2884Lesotho began a structural economic transformation in the early 1990s. The transformation has brought higher, more secure incomes to households while the government succeeded in dramatically improving access to services such as education, health, water, and transportation. Yet today, Lesotho faces a number of serious development challenges, including a high rate of chronic poverty, entrenched income inequality, and most troubling one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world. This report focuses on three main areas: i) livelihood patterns among Lesotho's households and how these correlate with opportunity and exclusion; ii) how the government could make access to public services and overall social development more equitable; and iii) how the economic and social vulnerabilities of households, including HIV/AIDS, could be alleviated in order to reduce poverty. In this report concludes that it is possible for Lesotho to reduce poverty and to continue its transition to an economically diverse middle-income country by undertaking three key strategies: continuing to develop the investment climate for labor-intensive production; implementing programs to support commercial agriculture and reduce land degradation in rural areas; and developing a strategy to support socioeconomic and geographic mobility of workers into higher-productivity sectors. Public funds should be better targeted towards assisting the poor to build human capital and manage risks. Other recommendations to improve the plight of the people of Lesotho include creating a more equitable and inclusive society, especially for women, and developing a more effective campaign against HIV/AIDS.CC BY 3.0 IGOACCESS TO EDUCATIONACCESS TO HEALTH CAREACCESS TO SERVICESADULT MORTALITYADULT POPULATIONAGEDAGRICULTURAL EXTENSIONAGRICULTURAL SECTORAIDSAIDS PREVENTIONAIDS RELIEFANTENATAL CAREBASIC SOCIAL SERVICESCALORIESCASH TRANSFERSCHILD MORTALITYCHILD NUTRITIONCHILDRENCHRONIC POVERTYCIRCUMCISIONCITIZENSCLIMATE CHANGECLINICSCOMMERCIAL AGRICULTURECOMMUNITY HEALTHCONDOMSCROP PRODUCTIONCYCLE OF POVERTYDEATHDEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITIONDISCRIMINATIONDISTRIBUTION OF LANDDROPOUTDROUGHTECONOMIC GROWTHECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIESECONOMIC POLICIESEDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTEMERGENCY PLANEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATIONEPIDEMICEQUAL ACCESSEQUAL OPPORTUNITIESEXTERNAL MIGRATIONFAMILIESFARMERSFARMING SYSTEMSFEMALE-HEADED HOUSEHOLDSFERTILITYFIGHT AGAINST POVERTYFOOD AIDFOOD INSECURITYFOOD NEEDSFOOD PRICESFOOD SECURITYGENDER EQUALITYGRAIN PRODUCTIONGROWTH RATE IN AGRICULTUREHEALTHHEALTH CAREHEALTH FACILITIESHEALTH INDICATORSHEALTH OUTCOMESHEALTH SERVICESHEALTH SYSTEMHIGH INEQUALITYHIVHOSPITALSHOUSEHOLD BUDGETHOUSEHOLD DEMOGRAPHICSHOUSEHOLD INCOMEHOUSEHOLD SURVEYHOUSEHOLD WELFAREHOUSEHOLDS WITH LIVESTOCKHUMAN CAPITALILLNESSIMPLEMENTATIONINCIDENCE ANALYSISINCOMEINCOME INEQUALITYINCOME POVERTYINCOME RISKINEQUALITYINEQUITIESINFANTINFANT MORTALITYINFORMAL SAFETY NETSINTERNAL MIGRANTSINTERNAL MIGRATIONKNOWLEDGELABOR FORCELABOR MARKETLABOR MARKETSLABOUR MARKETLACK OF KNOWLEDGELAND DEGRADATIONLAND DISTRIBUTIONLAND OWNERSHIPLAND RIGHTSLAND TENURELANDHOLDINGSLAWSLEVEL OF EDUCATIONLEVELS OF EDUCATIONLIFE EVENTSLIFE EXPECTANCYLIVESTOCK PRODUCTIONLOW-INCOME COUNTRIESMALNUTRITIONMARKETINGMEASURESMIGRANTMIGRANTSMIGRATIONMIGRATION FOR EMPLOYMENTMILLENNIUM CHALLENGEMINISTRY OF EDUCATIONMINISTRY OF HEALTHMINORITYMORBIDITYMORTALITYMORTALITY RATEMOTHERMOTHER-TO-CHILDMOTHER-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSIONNATIONAL AIDSNATIONAL AIDS COMMISSIONNATIONAL POVERTYNATIONAL POVERTY LINENATURAL RESOURCENATURAL RESOURCESNURSINGNUTRITIONNUTRITION OUTCOMESOPEN SOCIETYORPHANSPATIENTSPEOPLEPOLICY MAKERSPOLITICAL RIGHTSPOORPOOR AREASPOOR CHILDRENPOOR HOUSEHOLDSPOOR NUTRITIONPOPULATION DENSITYPOST-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXISPOVERTYPOVERTY PROFILEPOVERTY RATESPOVERTY REDUCTIONPOVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGYPOVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY PAPERPOVERTY SITUATIONPREVENTIONPRIMARY EDUCATIONPRIMARY SCHOOLPRIMARY SCHOOLSPROFITABLE FARMING SYSTEMSPUBLIC HEALTHPUBLIC POLICYPUBLIC SERVICEPUBLIC SERVICESPUBLIC SPENDINGPUBLIC WORKSPUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMSPURCHASING POWERRAPERECREATIONREGISTRATIONREMITTANCEREMITTANCESRISK FACTORSRISK GROUPSRISK MANAGEMENTRISKSRURALRURAL AREASRURAL COMMUNITIESRURAL DEVELOPMENTRURAL ECONOMYRURAL HEALTHRURAL HOUSEHOLDRURAL HOUSEHOLD INCOMERURAL HOUSEHOLDSRURAL INCOMERURAL INCOMESRURAL INEQUALITYRURAL LABORRURAL LIVELIHOODSRURAL POPULATIONRURAL RESIDENTSSAFE WATERSAFETY NET SYSTEMSSECONDARY EDUCATIONSECONDARY SCHOOLSECONDARY SCHOOLSSERVICE DELIVERYSERVICE FACILITIESSEXSEXUAL VIOLENCESEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASESSHARECROPPINGSOCIAL CHANGESOCIAL DEVELOPMENTSOCIAL POLICIESSOCIAL PROGRAMSSOCIAL SERVICESOCIAL SERVICESSOCIAL WELFARESPOUSESSTRATEGYSTRESSSTUDENTSSUBSISTENCE FARMINGSUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENTTARGETINGTEACHER SALARIESTERTIARY EDUCATIONTRAININGTRANSPORTATIONUNEMPLOYMENTURBAN AREASURBAN MIGRATIONURBANIZATIONVICTIMSVOCATIONAL EDUCATIONVULNERABILITYVULNERABLE GROUPSWATER PROJECTWOMENWORKERSWORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONYOUNG WOMENWorld Bank10.1596/2884