Agricultural Technology Under APPSA Elevates a Vegetable Farmer’s Success

The current food insecurity affecting Lesotho and many Southern African countries, exacerbated by ever-changing climatic conditions and rising unemployment, has left many families struggling to survive.

Some parents often leave their children by themselves at home as they seek employment in neighboring South Africa. In some cases, children drop out of school in search of food, only to end up on the streets, where they either encounter kind strangers or face various forms of abuse.

However, these climatic challenges have not deterred the family of Lefu Poone, a dedicated and passionate lead farmer from Linokong, Mpharane, in Lesotho’s southern district of Mohale’s Hoek. Poone, 47, grew up in a family of farmers, and his love for vegetable production has only grown over time.

Like many Basotho men, he left home in 2000 to seek employment, but quickly returned when he realized it was not working for him. His return home reminded him of how his parents used farming to feed the family and cover expenses. He decided to follow in their footsteps, producing a variety of vegetables, including tomatoes and cabbage.

When the Agriculture Productivity Program for Southern Africa (APPSA) offered him training to become a commercial onion producer, Poone had already begun earning an income from selling other vegetables.

“I bought my first sheep from selling pumpkin leaves. That first income showed me that vegetable farming can be done by anyone, even with almost no startup capital,” Poone recalls. He initially planted vegetables around his yard using a spade borrowed from a neighbor.

“I never thought of onions as a potential source of income until APPSA opened my eyes. I nearly gave up when I realized the amount of work required to achieve the desired yield, but then I realized that most of my family’s income comes from onion sales.” His first batch of onions brought in nearly M7,000.00 and he is hopeful that the second batch, which is currently being planted as a study, will perform even better.

Poone pays his children’s school fees with the money earned from selling a variety of vegetables. His farming activities also extend to fruit tree production, mainly peaches and apples.

“My children sell these apples at school, and even this cabbage you see has been reserved by the school to support their feeding program,” says Poone, who also grows sorghum. He points to bags of sorghum that he sells locally for over M2,000 per bag. “I am teaching my children that farming is the best employer,” he adds, noting that the training he received from APPSA has only fuelled his passion for farming, with onion production being a bonus.

“The knowledge I received from APPSA has challenged my thinking. Before planting the second batch of onions, I planted a few just to observe how they would fare during the winter. This was so I could make informed decisions based on my own observations, which I am willing to share with other farmers. This way, even without APPSA, a farmer can continue to learn and grow,” he explains.

When asked about his market, Poone says he has never had a problem selling his produce because the quality speaks for itself. He sells his vegetables in local shops and now sees an opportunity to reach neighboring countries with his onions. “My name has become a brand because of the quantity and quality of the vegetables I sell,” he says with a smile, adding that competition is not a threat because he takes advantage of seasonal gaps to sell when others are sold out.

APPSA’s Principal Investigator, Mr. Refuoehape Chabalala, who has been working with the farmers since the first batch of onions, emphasizes the importance of conducting the study working together with the farmers, “testing technologies with farmers gives them an opportunity to experience in real time the process of growing onions, challenges to expect, but also enjoy the success together. More than anything this encourages sustainability as they stop seeing a technological introduction as a thing imposed over them, but an initiative to own for their own wellbeing,

“We are focusing on planting different types of onions in various soil conditions. In some areas, we use soil enriched with cow manure, while in others, we use soil enriched with fertilizer, paying close attention to how each onion type behaves in different soils. We periodically collect data and analyze it with the farmers to determine what works best, unlike in the past when research was done without their involvement,” he explains.

When asked why they use cow manure instead of manure from other animals, Mr. Chabalala notes that many farmers come from rural areas and have cows. “If cow manure works best, it’s a plus for the farmers because it’s readily available and doesn’t need to be purchased,” he adds. “Even when challenges arise, we work together to find solutions, which promotes ownership and increases the likelihood of sustainability for the new technologies beyond the project. We are working hard to ensure that farmers become commercial producers, and the increasing number of farmers planting onions since the first batch indicates that they have developed a love for the vegetable.”

Extension Officer Ms. ‘Makamohelo Manama explains how they easily selected Mr. Poone for training on the new technologies under APPSA because farming was already his passion. “Such a farmer is eager to learn and is not easily discouraged by challenges because he has already seen a lot,” she says.

Nearly 150 farmers have received training on the new farming technologies from APPSA and are participating in on-farm trials and demonstrations. Lead farmers are already passing down this knowledge to smaller farmers and end-users. Linokong is one of six demonstration and learning sites identified by the project in the three districts of Maseru, Leribe, and Mohale’s Hoek.

The Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) is a regional project supported by the World Bank under its Africa Action Plan. It began in 2013 with Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, and Lesotho joined in 2019, partnering with Angola. The project, which runs until 2025, aims to increase the availability of improved agricultural technologies in participating SADC countries. Lesotho’s focus is on improved horticulture farming systems.

Food insecurity in Lesotho remains a chronic challenge, hindering the country’s development and progress toward zero hunger, according to the World Food Program (WFP) 2024 country report. The report further indicates that over a quarter of the population faces high levels of food insecurity, requiring urgent humanitarian action. However, there is hope for the country, with farmers like Mr. Poone and many others trained in new technologies, who truly believe that food production is the way forward. The training provided by APPSA puts them in a better position to contribute to feeding Lesotho. What remains is for the number of trained farmers to keep increasing and spreading across the country.

Watch the video clip of how agricultural technology under the Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) has transformed the life of Lefu Poone, a passionate vegetable farmer from Linokong, Lesotho. In a country where food insecurity and unemployment are pressing challenges, Poone’s journey showcases the power of innovation and determination.