Southern Mountains Association for Rural Transformation and Development

𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀

Meet Ha Rasefale Farmer Field School, from Semonkong, Tšenekeng, working under Benefit-sharing Fund cycle 5 of the International Plant Treaty. The FFS had an opportunity to 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵, 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 from their yellow beans last week Tuesday. The field supervisor and field officer demonstrated how to estimate yields and the important parameters to be measured. The data was collected, total yield per treatment was obtained, while further analysis will be conducted at the SMARTD premises.

The FFS compared beans performance under intercropping with maize, kraal manure application, and where there was no manure applied as this is their usual way of planting beans. On one hand, they observed that the yield was high where they used kraal manure. On the other hand, they observed that where there was no manure applied the yield was significantly low, whereas intercropping manifested delayed beans maturity as some of the beans were still green.

This initiative also contributed to their 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱, 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 initiative. Through participatory methods, the farmers were able to explore appropriate production conditions and associated farming practices, learn about 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱, 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴

My name is Lemohang Khasipe from Likoeneng village in the beautiful mountains of Lesotho. I am 23 years old and stay with my mother. As I grew up, I heard stories from my mother, grandparents, uncles, and aunts of all the foods that they used to eat. They talk about sorghums, which were used for making healthy porridge and beer in our community.

For me these were all folktales until we formed the Tšenekeng Farmer Field School with support from SMARTD. The aim was to reintroduce lost plant genetic materials repatriated from community and national genebanks. The FFS has made us learn of the different crop varieties of beans and sorghums. FFSs have become a platform for me to learn from the elderly people in my community and exchange knowledge on cultivating the crop, storage, and consumption.

Without the FFSs, I would not have learnt about the history of these crops and the important nutritional and cultural value they have. We value the interaction and unity this platform has brought to the community, not just in 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 conservation but in strengthening us as a people.