Attachments
In Numbers
- USD 26.5 million six months (Jan - June 2025) net funding requirements, representing 90 percent of total requirement.
- 60,250 peole assisted in December 2024
Operational Updates
Activity 1: Crisis response
- WFP provided food and cash assistance to 60,250 people (31,793 women) in Qacha’s Nek, Quthing, Mahale`s Hoek and Maseru districts in response to the high levels of food insecurity. WFP partnered with 41 retailers to provide food assistance to the targeted people while the cash assistance was administered through Standard Lesotho Bank’s UNAYO platform.
Activity 2: Emergency preparedness
- To enhance the capacity of the Ministry’s staff in data analysis and monitoring of agricultural programmes implemented in collaboration with WFP, WFP engaged the National University of Lesotho to conduct a training on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The training aimed to equip participants with skills needed in using SPSS for agricultural data analysis and to strengthen data interpretation to support evidence-based decision making.
- Further to this, WFP supported the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition to update its Strategic Plan (2024-2028) and develop a Monitoring and Evaluation logical framework. This was done as part of capacity strengthening for the Ministry through the Smallholder Agricultural Development Project under which WFP is implementing the nutrition component in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition.
Activity 3: School feeding
- WFP in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and Ministry of Health conducted a training for 16 National Management Agents and other Government ministries to capacitate them on the management of school feeding. The workshop aimed at ensuring the understanding of the objectives of the school feeding programme as a social protection programme, its health benefits, and the value addition benefits of homegrown school feeding on local economy and food security. The training is expected to improve timely delivery of food to schools, provision of quality food and improve local economy through procurement of food from smallholder farmers.
- WFP and MoET signed a Technical Facility Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening the Government capacity for sustainable financing, implementing the school feeding policy, strengthening coordination, update school menu
Activity 4: End malnutrition
- WFP held a strategic meeting with the Food and Nutrition Coordinating Office (FNCO) to review the progress of the nutrition campaign launched by the Government in July through WFP support. The campaign advocates for good nutrition practices, challenging the socio-cultural norms that contribute to malnutrition, which disproportionately affects women and children. The meeting aimed to support FNCO in conducting a Target Audience Analysis to better understand the demographics, behaviors, and socio-cultural factors of the audiences that were not effectively reached. The analysis also sought to identify gaps and develop engagement strategies to inform and strengthen post-campaign activities.
Activity 5-Resilience building
- The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry through WFP’s support, facilitated a number of capacity strengthening trainings for 40 participants across the districts of Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek, Mokhotlong and Quthing on aquaculture and trout fish production and productivity, fire belt establishment in rangelands, poultry and piggery management and products. These trainings were geared towards improving production for income generation and enhanced food and nutrition security.
Activity 6: Smallholder support
- WFP through the Adaptation Fund project supported the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition through the Department of Marketing and the Department of Crops – Horticulture Section, with training of 150 smallholder farmers on Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment Programme with the goal of transforming small-scale farming into sustainable, business-oriented ventures. The training equipped farmers with essential and required production and marketing skills. The training has also equipped farmers with knowledge and skills needed to improve their horticultural practices, resulting in higher productivity and better-quality produce for better access and linkages to markets.
- WFP is in discussion with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition to support with designing the next phase of the small holder farmers agricultural development programme that focus on improving the livelihoods of farmers in Lesotho