LAND-REFORM AND AGRICULTURAL-DEVELOPMENT - THE CASE OF LESOTHO

Lesotho is heavily dependent on food imports and food aid because it c annot produce enough of its own food. This makes the country, which is completely surrounded by South Africa, very vulnerable to South Afric an manipulation. Attempts have been made through various agricultural development projects to improve food production but these have been to tal failures. In 1979, under pressure from international aid donors, t he government passed the Land Act which sought to transfer control of land from traditional chiefs to elected land allocation committees and allowed land to be leased. It was believed that these changes would e nhance the security of tenure enjoyed by cultivators on the land: enha nced security of tenure would, in turn, lead to greater investment in land improvement and improved agricultural technologies, and ultimatel y higher agricultural output. The evidence, however, indicates that ve ry few farmers have converted their allocations into leases, and not m uch improvement in agriculture output has occurred. It is argued in th is paper that land legislation alone will not bring about the desired agricultural improvements: attempts must be made to control soil erosi on by, among other things, a programme of reforestation and a reductio n in the cattle population; the creation of off-farm employment to eas e the pressure on the land; and consolidation of holdings into viable units. A more holistic, as against a piecemeal approach, to Lesotho's agricultural problems is suggested.