Like most parents living in rural Lesotho, Musa has spent the majority of his life providing for his family through subsistence rain-fed agriculture.

Whether growing regular staple crops like maize and sorghum or a small plot of green vegetables at home, Musa has always had a passion for farming. He recalls, “I have always been someone who had a love for agriculture.”

For decades, farmers across southern Africa have relied on seasonal rainfall to irrigate their crops. However, in recent years rains have become less reliable and the devastating drought of 2015-2016 saw farmers like Musa lose their entire crops. For Musa the memories of this time and the difficulties he faced in providing for his family are still raw.

Farming with friends

As communities began recovering from the drought, Musa joined with a group of farmers in his village of Ha Senekane to establish the Senekane Agriculture Association.

The group began working together with the aim of increasing their vegetable production and it wasn’t long before Musa’s love and dedication for growing vegetables became apparent. He was soon put in charge of their vegetable production and he recalls the wonder of watching the first few crops of cabbages. 

SALP invests in Senekane

In 2017, the Southern African Livelihoods Project (SALP) supported by World Vision Australia and Australian Aid began working with 52 producer groups throughout Lesotho, Eswatini (Swaziland) and South Africa including Senekane.

 SALP invested in a complete irrigation system for the group, drilling a borehole and providing irrigation pipes and tanks for them. Once Senekane had a sustainable supply of water, the project also supported the group to diversify into an egg-laying chicken business.

Valuing vegetables

As Senekane’s enterprise grew and diversified, they began attracting young people from the surrounding villages interested in joining their business.

This increase in staff meant Musa now had a new young and energetic team ready to help him increase Senekane’s vegetable production.

“These new people who work here now give us a lot of courage, especially because they are young people, who are able to work on time. When we work with them they motivate us a lot.”

Eggs upselling vegies

The daily egg production at Senekane has allowed the group to establish a base of reliable customers who buy from them each week. These buyers are mostly located in the district capital of Mohale’s Hoek and include a number of schools, a hotel and other small businesses. 

With commercial relationships established, Senekane has been able to upsell their fresh vegetables with St Patrick’s High School signing a contract to regularly buy fresh produce from the group.

Musa understands that in the future increasing demand for their produce will require more work from him and the small team in the garden. More important however is the knowledge that more buyers guarantee the group greater sales and therefore ensure future income for group members.

 Investing in businesses

SALP is working directly with 1,430 project participants, benefiting 8,032 people across Lesotho, South Africa and Eswatini (Swaziland). Groups are being supported to grow businesses including vegetable farming, egg production, poultry and pig production and beekeeping.