(MENAFN- The Post)
MOHALE'S HOEK –“SORGHUM is the daughter-in-law of all families.” This Sesotho idiom depicts the warmth with which Basotho would welcome a new bride into the family.
Daughters-in-law are still warmly welcomed in many families. As for sorghum, a crop revered by Basotho, it is fast becoming a fading memory because of the decline of Agriculture countrywide, not least the dwindling hectarage of sorghum being planted countrywide.
Aware of this sad reality, the Majantja Temong Farmers Association is on a drive to revive Basotho's fondness for sorghum.
The association recently held a sorghum harvest celebration in Ha-Khoai village, an event organised in conjunction with Slow Food Lesotho, Majantja Temong Farmers Association, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Rural Self-Help Development Agency (RSDA).
Planting and harvesting of the crop was done with the support of the Food Agricultural Organisation (FAO)-Mountain Partnership and the United Nations Development Programme-Small Grants Programme under the framework of the international year of Sustainable Mountain Development 2022.
The Majantja Temong Farmers Association chairman, Letlamoreng Lehloenya, said the association was established in 1990 through the Machobane farming practice. The RSDA later gave a variety of seeds for maize, sorghum, beans and peas amongst others to association members.
The Machobane Farming System is a simple, low-input technique based on intercropping and localised application of organic manures. Many farmers in Lesotho have integrated this system into their land management, increasing land productivity three-fold compared to traditional mono cropping methods.
“After realising our sustainability in production, RSDA then decided to change from giving us seeds to helping us catch the fish ourselves,” Lehloenya said.
The association started with 220 members from 15 groups of less than 20 farmers per community. However, the numbers have declined seemingly because some joined without a proper understanding of the new farming concept.
The association is now left with only eight groups, most of them composed of women.
“I don't know why but I hope this initiative will help bring back our members and more people for the growth of our association,” said Lehloenya.
He said members decided during their routine monthly meetings to move from the usage of chemical fertilizers in their fields to manure and ashes.
“We then looked for old seeds for (silver king and old sorghum seeds) in the mountainous parts of Mohale's Hoek and Quthing,” he said.
Afterwards, he said, members met with research people for assistance with gathering of old seeds.
“But we didn't get help as we were expected to pay for their transport costs. It was difficult for us to do so hence we proceeded with what we had and graciously, we came across the Small Grants Programme (SGP) and it helped us and now we grow sorghum of all kinds.”
Lehloenya said the Slow Food Movement also came on board“and we are still planting without chemical fertilizers and we feel we are producing healthy food”. However, Lehloenya said their main focus has been sorghum after realising that some crops, including maize, were being badly affected by climate change-induced bad weather.
“We stuck to sorghum because it is climate change resilient. Sorghum is the only thing that survives against all odds within the Senqu Valley,” said Lehloenya, adding that“we do not just plant sorghum, but we eat everything made from sorghum such as cakes, porridge, bread and pap to name a few.”
He decried that“our children” are no longer as interested in sorghum products like the older generation because of their exposure to other foods.
“They have become choosy when it comes to eating sorghum pap. It's an occasional thing for them but we believe we will grow it until everyone understands its importance to our health.”
Sorghum is known to be rich in phenolic compounds, many which act as antioxidants. It has also been shown to be good at reducing some forms of inflammation due to its antioxidant properties. Several of the phenolic compounds in sorghum have been linked to anti-cancer effects, according to an online health magazine, webmd.co.
Lehloenya added that“now it is high time that people go back to our old ways of production and let go of hybrids and food additives and pick our naturally produced foods”. Lehloenya said the major challenges for farmers are climate change, market accessibility, hard to reach areas and few animals for draught power due to stock theft and poor pastures.
“If things continue like this, I am afraid we will have to resort to machinery usage,” he said.
He also said young people still do not understand the importance of farming and they take it for granted because it does not guarantee quick riches. Ha-Khoai councillor, Mathanzima Ndadene, called on communities to rise to the challenge.
“We have to work hard to get this agricultural work going because this initiative is meant to encourage and rejuvenate us. Let's work hard to popularise sorghum production. Let's go to the fields to earn a living,” Ndadene said.
He appealed to funders to continue supporting farmers and also help with access to markets.
“We plant sorghum here but it ends up being eaten by grain weevils due to lack of markets.”
The Phamong Principal Chief's assistant, Phutheho Jonase, said people from the community are“truly blessed to be self-reliant” on agriculture as many people now opt to buy rather than grow their own food.
“This is our culture and no one can talk to their ancestors without using sorghum. My people, maintain and be stronger than you are now,” Jonase said.
The RSDA director, 'Mampho Thulo, said the collaboration with Majantja started in 1995 when they met to look at the importance of sorghum production.
“We realised that sorghum is not just food to Basotho. Without it we would not survive,” Thulo said.
She said RSDA worked with the Ministry of Agriculture through their research department in 2018, looking at climate change and the future of sorghum production.
“Findings show that we will still be able to plant sorghum unlike maize,” she said, citing Denmark Lesotho Network as one of the donors supporting sorghum production.
Moroka Pula Heritage Productions director, Kalosi Ramakhula, said they saw it fit to be part of the initiative as it goes in line with their mandate – rejuvenation of the country's cultural heritage.
“It is very important because a person is what they eat. Sorghum is indeed Basotho's staple food and many people often mistake it for maize. Sorghum is indeed Basotho's staple food and many people often mistake it for maize,” Ramakhula said.
The FAO National Programme Officer, Deborah Pokothoane, said mountains matter for all, and in mountains agriculture is often the backbone of the local economy.
“However, farming in mountainous regions is undergoing rapid transformation and global changes have contributed to higher pressure on local resources, unsustainable practices in land use and loss of local customs and ancient traditions,” Pokothoane said.
She said the urgent challenge is to identify new and sustainable opportunities that can enhance the resilience of mountainous people and their environments.
“Investments and technical support are needed to diversify and boost the mountain agri-production system and improve the competitiveness of mountain food systems and value chains,” she said.
She said since 2020, the GEF Small Grants Program under the UNDP, the FAO-Mountain Secretariat and Slow Food have been working together to address the challenges through an initiative titled: 'enhancing agri-food value chains to increase resilience of mountain communities.'
The initiative, she said, combines the efforts of the GEF Small Grants Programme and the Mountain Partnership Products initiative to strengthen the resilience of farmers through the improvement of local mountain economies.
Pokothoane said the initiative is being implemented in four countries – Guatemala, Nepal, Rwanda and Lesotho – and aims to strengthen the value chains of high value mountain products and the capacity of producer organisations to promote mountain products.
“In Lesotho, we have worked closely in identifying and selecting worthy producer organisations that have shown considerable motivation in working towards more sustainable and economically viable agricultural paradigms.”
Currently, she said, a team from Slow Food is working on the field and providing capacity building and network opportunities to the producer's organisation on the ground. Overall in the four countries, the collaboration includes 495 farmers and 75 percent of them are women, she said.
Mountain products include coffee, honey, tea, sorghum, barley, rosehip berries to name a few. She said the selected producers will also receive the Mountain Partnership Products narrative label to join the first international network of mountain specific Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) and join other global networks.
“Through this partnership, we have been able to provide technical assistance, training and support to remote communities and farmers in the participating countries, ensuring that livelihoods are secured and resilience is built and sustained,” she said.
“Now more than ever, partnerships are crucial to create much needed transformational change and address the triple planetary crisis.”
Nthabiseng Majara, the Country Coordinator for the GEF/SGP/UNDP, said the Global Environment Facility (GEF)'s Small Grants Programme (SGP) is meant to help lawfully registered associations with funding.
“I am very proud that we are recognised at international conventions and we will be marketed there,” Majara said.
Agriculture Minister, Keketso Sello, said he hopes that the celebration would help rekindle the Basotho love for sorghum and contribute to farmers' ability to sell sorghum in Lesotho and other countries.
“The project encourages Basotho to join hands in market participation and encourages them to eat the food they produce,” Sello said.
Sello encouraged Basotho to continue growing sorghum.
“Unfortunately, our production these years has declined to 10 000 mega tons yearly from 84 000 in 1974,” he said.
He said his ministry's doors are open for dialogue with concerned stakeholders to improve production and marketing of agricultural products.
“There is no strange or unique solution that I can promise but I have decided to listen to your issues carefully and where my ministry can help, we will strongly support you,” he said.
'Mapule Motsopa
MENAFN19072022000229011070ID1104556088