By ‘Majirata Latela
Having enrolled for Agricultural Economics at Wye College of the University of London, King Letsie III is said to have also inherited his love for farming from his father who was a farmer. It is said that from a very young age the king has always liked going to the fields and taking care of animals.
In an interview with theReporter, Prince Seeiso Bereng Seeiso said when they were growing up as kids in the villages of Matsieng, farming was their everyday life.
“I for one learned driving using a tractor, this shows you how much farming was part of our daily lives,” Seeiso said.
He further showed that the king had at some point went to Tanzania where he learned a lot about farming. He says he has been very much keen about farming so much that he knows how to repair farming equipment.
Reports are that during the school holidays, Prince Mohato spent time working at the cattle posts and fields under the supervision of his uncle, Chief Masupha Seeiso, then Principal Chief of Matsieng.
“If need be, the king can go under a tractor and repair it so that whatever business that needs to be taken care of by the tractor can be done,
“The love of farming, we grew up as one of our characters. Our parents have played a major role in nurturing our love in farming so it becomes a bit of a challenge to just let go when they are no longer here.
“Farming is one of the things that remind us of our parents. Unlike in the past where the king’s kraal was supposed to be full of animals, it is a different case this time. We now need to be commercial and economical when we think about farming so that we can get a good harvest,” he said.
Seeiso said the king with the responsibility of being a champion of nutrition in Africa goes hand in hand with farming and that has given him the opportunity to bring about change in farming. He said some of the projects that the king is a part of are in Khomo-Khoana in Leribe and Mose -ho- Seaka in Quthing and others which are now not operational as they are still finding ways to change crops in those projects.
In one local media the King has been quoted showing that Covid-19 pandemic has magnified the urgent need for Lesotho to stop relying on food imports from South Africa.
He urged Basotho to devote more energy towards resuscitating the agriculture sector. King Letsie III was speaking at an agricultural expo organised by The Silo magazine.
He admitted that Lesotho’s farmers have for year’s battled drought, climate change, access to finance and markets as well as a lack of agricultural machinery. Despite the challenges, farming practices have generally improved in Lesotho, he said.
Success in agriculture could spur economic growth and help create thousands of jobs downstream, he urged.
“We need to engage scientists and researchers to shed light on climate change resilient farming,
“I am therefore appealing to you, my people, to venture into farming with dedication to enable Lesotho to reach its goal to be food secure and to be independent in terms of food production,” he said.
He said through his tasks as the African Union Nutrition Champion he has to mobilise governments to see to it that every person has food on the table and does not go to bed hungry.
King Letsie III said by supporting farmers and collaborating with various government entities and stakeholders Lesotho can escape extreme poverty.
He urged those with farming land to start using it for agricultural purposes.
