Mathatisi Sebusi
MORE than 258,000 people living in Lesotho’s rural areas — representing 17 percent of the population analysed in a report — experienced high levels of acute food insecurity between May and September 2025.
This is according to the Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC) Acute Food Insecurity Analysis covering May 2025 to March 2026, published by IPC Global Support on 9 October 2025.
The analysis shows that seven of the 10 districts assessed were classified under IPC Phase 2 (stressed), while the remaining three districts — Mafeteng, Maseru, and Mohale’s Hoek — were in Phase 3 (crisis).
Acute food insecurity is classified as IPC Phase 3 or above, which means food insecurity would have reached crisis levels or worse.
The report attributes the current food insecurity to dry spells and high temperatures during the cropping stage, along with livestock diseases, high food prices, and reduced income opportunities.
“The onset of rains that started in late October to November 2024 enabled the timely start of planting in the lowlands. However, the country experienced dry spells and high temperatures at the crucial growth stage between December 2024 and January 2025,” the report stated.
It further indicated that from November 2025, poorer populations are expected to start experiencing food deficit.
“With reduced income sources likely to compromise their already depleted purchasing power, they will mainly rely on purchases as their primary food source. Therefore, food access — particularly financial access — will remain a major limiting factor.”
During the projected period (October 2025–March 2026), about 334,000 rural residents are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity.
Hazards such as heavy rains, high temperatures, and prolonged dry spells are anticipated, alongside price increases that may negatively affect food access and utilisation. However, food availability is projected to remain stable due to functional markets.
The analysis notes that the current period normally begins during the post-harvest season when most households consume food that they produce themselves. However, those not engaged in crop farming rely primarily on purchases.
The main sources of livelihood for most households remain remittances, casual labour, social grants (including old-age pensions), and crop sales — all expected to continue supplementing income throughout the current period.
“During this period, about 258,000 people (17 percent of the rural population) are in IPC Phase 3 or above, requiring urgent action to reduce food consumption gaps. This reflects a slight improvement compared to the same period last year, when 293,000 people (19 percent) were in Phase 3 or above.”
The report further notes that between May and September 2025, Lesotho experienced a series of climatic shocks, including hailstorms and heavy rains that damaged crops and livestock. There were also dry spells at the start of the rainy season (October–December 2024), livestock disease outbreaks, high temperatures, and pest infestations such as the fall armyworm.
It also highlights that price shocks affected 34 percent of households, while 19 percent experienced loss of formal employment. Most households now spend the bulk of their income on food purchases, reflecting deepening economic distress.
Although income from livestock products such as wool and mohair showed slight improvement in mountain areas, it declined elsewhere despite rising animal prices due to market competition.
Prolonged dry spells and heavy rainfall between January and March 2025 led to significant crop failure, coinciding with the crucial crop growth stage. Pests and wild animals further destroyed crops, negatively affecting production nationwide.
“National maize production estimates show a 19 percent decrease in 2025 compared to the previous year — from 56,472 metric tons in 2024 to 45,780 metric tons in 2025.”
Nonetheless, good rangeland conditions were observed in most districts, resulting in healthy livestock. The analysis notes that Lesotho will still meet its annual cereal requirements through imports, mainly from South Africa, which expects an increased maize yield.
Poorer households are already facing survival gaps, typically beginning during the lean season. Although these gaps will start later this year — in November instead of August — the report warns that many families may still resort to unfavourable coping strategies.
“Food and non-food prices are already rising, and poorer households’ purchasing power has weakened due to declining income sources. Therefore, food access remains a major limiting factor nationwide,” it said.
To address the crisis, the analysis recommends that the government facilitates immediate conditional and unconditional humanitarian assistance for food-insecure populations in both rural and urban areas.
It further advises continued market-based interventions encouraging farmers with surpluses to participate in trade, and the implementation of sustainable and resilient programmes promoting food production, nutrition security, and Integrated Catchment Management to improve rangelands and protect water sources.
The report further recommends that the government scale up anticipatory actions, community-based early warning systems, and impact-based forecasting to anticipate and mitigate the effects of hazards and shocks on food and nutrition security.
“Establish geographical and profile-based targeting criteria for investments in risk financing, to support early action for the most food-insecure populations.
“Continuously monitor risk factors, including staple food prices, agricultural input prices, fuel prices — especially paraffin (used for cooking), which remains expensive — and strengthen monitoring of livestock and human disease outbreaks, which may affect the expected good livestock conditions due to better rangelands following forecasted rains.
“Continue tracking and improving social protection programmes, such as child grants, public works projects, old-age pensions, and food distributions to disadvantaged households.”
Contacted for comment, a farmer from Lesobeng in Thaba-Tseka, Lebitso Lephoi, said despite planting on time, he failed to harvest enough food to last his family until the next season.
“After the heavy rains came late, our crops struggled to grow because the rains were followed by high temperatures and insect infestations. We did not come from the fields empty-handed, but the food will not last us until the next harvest,” he told the Sunday Express.
He said he would be forced to sell some of his livestock to provide for his family until the next harvest season.