The Impact of Basotho Cultural Beliefs on Sustainable Crop Production in Lesotho

Abstract

Several researchers have written on the situation of agriculture in Lesotho. Common to all of them is the observation that there has been a decline in food production in Lesotho. While the earlier researchers attribute this condition to migrant labour problem, the recent ones blame it upon the Basotho’s failure to use yield-boosting factors such as insecticides, herbicides, disease resistant cultivars and other crop protection technologies. While it is true that the above mentioned issues may have played their role in retarding agricultural production in Lesotho, this paper argues that there are other unobtrusive factors whose influence is as equally pernicious to sustainable agriculture in Lesotho. The paper singles out certain cultural aspects, which it believes play a significantly retarding role in food production. Having identified these aspects, it sets out to explore ways by which these hamper both crop production and land productivity. Some recommendations are made at the end.