Climate change continues to be the biggest threat facing planet Earth today. Globally, climate change concerns are based on serious disruptions of the entire world’s weather and climate patterns, including impacts on rainfall, extreme weather events and sea level rise. Lesotho is no exception in facing the world’s climate change crisis. In the past 10 years, the Basotho experienced an increasing frequency of natural disasters such as droughts and floods. On the other hand, water resources also depleted thereby causing great loss for both crop and livestock farming.

Through GEF funded Project  implemented jointly by the  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and  the Ministry of Forestry, Range and Soil Conservation, named Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change (RVCC) in the Foothills, Lowlands and the Lower Senqu River Basin, farmers in the three project sites, namely Thaba-Mokhele, Khoelenya and Lithipeng Community Councils are looking forward to improved harvest in 2021 as a result of permaculture. After a detailed and practical training of the participating communities, most farmers bought into the Permaculture method of producing food. Permaculture is a farming method that looks at land in a holistic manner, integrating every animal and plant living on it, and combining that with social structures designed to foster long-lasting agriculture as well.

According to the Permaculture Specialist, Rory Clark, “permaculture is more than just a sustainable farming practice. Besides the benefits of practical design tools, techniques and methods; through the act of practicing permaculture, we are re-establishing our connection  back to the land and this will have profound influence on our lives and well-being. Through practicing ecological living and thinking we move into a spirit of co-creating with life and we carve out more meaningful destinies”.

A 44-year old woman from Maphutseng in Mohale’s Hoek, ’Malebohang Maribe is one of the beneficiaries of this new farming practice which has incorporated both crop and livestock farming into one yard. As a woman, she bears the burden of ensuring that there is enough food for her family. She lives with his three children while her husband works for a company in the capital city of Maseru and is only able to visit home once a month. She is one of the pioneers of Permaculture in her village. She rears several livestock breeds including sheep, cows, goats and chickens. On the other hand, she also keeps bees for honey and is able to harvest a minimum of 20 liters per harvest period. Under her protected vegetable plots she produces vegetables such as tomatoes, spinach, pumpkin, potatoes and onion. She uses her other fields to grow maize and sorghum. ’Malebohang is an exemplary of discipline, hard-work and dedication.

“One day, I will be able to employ some of  the people in my village and will be able to sell food throughout the Mohale’s Hoek district. With farming practices like Permaculture, sustainable farming is possible. Through RVCC, we have been helped with most of  the dream inputs for crop and animal farming. If we fail, it will be due to laziness. RVCC Project has supported us with most of our input requirements such as seeds, irrigation pipes, shade nets, chickens for meat and eggs, honey bees farming equipment as all as energy efficient stoves. We have also been trained in food preservation. The Project has done everything to help us improve the food security and self-sufficiency of our families”, she said. 

Permaculture is a sustainable way of farming that ensures long life of plants and animals as well as carbon sequestration. It is just a form of agriculture that can be practiced forever. Industrial farming techniques have proven to be part of the contributing factors to climate change. For example, artificial fertilizers can build up salts over time, making the soil inhospitable to plants and release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. As popularly known, permaculture lies on three ethics: care for the earth, care for people and fair share. 

Permaculture comes from the words: Permanent and agriCULTURE. So it can mean agriculture (food production) that continues, or culture (ways of doing things) that lasts. “Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies -  imitating the waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems.” Permaculture Research Institute