Attachments
Overview
In 2023, WFP continued to implement its country strategic plan (CSP) in Lesotho, which was launched in 2019 to address the deep-rooted food insecurity and malnutrition in the country. Contributing to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 (Zero Hunger) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), the CSP covers five strategic outcomes: crisis response, school feeding and emergency preparedness, nutrition, resilience building support to smallholder farmers facing climate shocks, and service delivery.
In 2023, WFP reached 108,169 food insecure people through activities implemented under these broad strategic outcomes. WFP assisted over 32,000 people in five drought-affected districts with food assistance and provided cash-based transfers to 14,783 people who participated in the Food Assistance for Assets (FFA) intervention aimed at improving the adaptive, absorptive and transformative capacities of vulnerable people to climate shocks. Furthermore, WFP remained the largest provider of school meals at pre-primary level, supporting more than 45,200 children in 2,500 schools, including with home-grown school feeding.
Lesotho continued to face an unprecedented food crisis in 2023, driven by a combination of multiple shocks, including hailstorms, pest invasions, heavy rains and high food prices. WFP faced significant funding constraints and could not launch the lean season support. Recognizing the deteriorating situation and faced by inadequate resources, WFP supported the Government to activate anticipatory action to mitigate the effects of the anticipated El Nino. Since anticipatory action plan activation, WFP reached around 60,000 people through cash-based transfers, provision of agricultural inputs, and dissemination of early warning and early action messages. Anticipatory action activities played a key role in addressing food needs of vulnerable people during the lean season in 2023.
According to the September 2023 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, thanks to the assistance provided by WFP and partners, there are no people experiencing emergency conditions (IPC Phase 4) and famine-like conditions (IPC Phase 5). However, humanitarian assistance has not been adequate to reverse deteriorating hunger levels and further investments in long-term resilience and development programmes are required to provide lasting solutions to recurrent hunger. The number of people requiring emergency food and nutrition assistance remains high, with 58,700 people rural and urban areas experiencing high levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3) between October 2023-March 2024. With the peak of the lean season (January-March 2024) still ahead, this level of food insecurity is cause for concern.
In 2023, WFP strengthened its partnerships with the Government, local communities, and other UN agencies on food distributions, nutrition programming, capacity strengthening, and emergency preparedness, helping to advance policies and progress towards the SDGs. This included working with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to purchase and install a High-Performance Computer system for the Lesotho Meteorological Services to enhance weather forecasting. WFP also provided logistical services to the Disaster Management Authority, supporting with transportation, milling and fortification of 850 metric tons of maize grain, further cementing its role as the service provider of choice for the humanitarian community.
WFP integrated nutrition across the six activities of the country strategic plan in efforts to amplify the impact of WFP’s operations in combatting malnutrition and fostering healthy dietary practices among the communities. WFP collaborated with the Ministry of Police (Child and Gender Protection Unit), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition (nutrition department) and the Ministry of Health to undertake interpersonal social behaviour change (SBC) sensitization during distributions and at Food Assistance for Assets project sites with the objective of improving women, men, boys, and girls’ knowledge on good nutrition practices, HIV awareness, sexual reproductive health, human rights, gender-based violence, and climate change. The follow-up assessment conducted after the sensitizations indicated that these resulted in increased, diversified homestead production of vegetables using climate smart plots. WFP achieved a significant milestone through the provision of technical support to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, leading to the establishment of community-based nutrition clubs targeting diverse age groups and demographics. These clubs played a pivotal role in enhancing nutrition knowledge across communities including among men who traditionally consider nutrition related practices as a woman’s role.
Partnerships were crucial to achieving meaningful impact across the sustainable development agenda. Thanks to the generous support of partners that enabled WFP to implement the planned activities to the benefit of those they served. WFP worked closely with the Government, as well as the Government of Japan, Germany, European Commission, and many others. WFP also received timely support from the Principality of Monaco, along with support from private foundations and the private sector. The Adaptation Fund also played a critical role in enabling WFP’s resilience building operations in Lesotho.