Food crisis in Lesotho.

The tiny Kingdom of Lesotho--an enclave in Southern Africa completely surrounded by South Africa--like many countries in the region is experiencing extreme drought. The drought has seriously threatened the country's food security, and doubled the price of staple foods such as maize. According to the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) (July 18, 2007), an independent news agency sponsored by the United Nations and reporting on development issues worldwide, prominent international agencies specializing in food issues have confirmed that a food crisis exists.

In addition to the food crisis, informal employment in agriculture is also affected.

While the Lesotho population is mostly engaged in subsistence farming, the industrial and services sectors account for approximately 84 percent of the country's GDP. But much of the relatively small scale industry is organized around the processing and distribution of agricultural products. The drought has severely impacted the supply chain for many companies so engaged.

Print Get the Mag Weekly Updates