Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment
? The project intents to reverse the norm by creating a bigger room for district governance personnel to participate at strategic points of discussing achievements and challenges.
? The approach to involve the Principal Chief to pronounce project milestones at the public gatherings will enhance participation at all levels.
Project sustainability
Environmental sustainability is of utmost importance in the highlands of Lesotho as they host major wetlands and water sources, significant biodiversity hot spots, rangeland resources that sustain the mainstay of the mountain economy - wool and mohair production. The Association is a strong link in the sustainable use of land and water resources in the region and thus it is keen to continue engaging in all conservation interventions that form the very base of their livelihoods. The Association is recognized as one of the key stakeholders in safeguarding the range resources in the upper reaches of the Khubelu River, by the Department of Water, the Department of Range Resources and the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and the Let?eng Diamond Mine and last but not least, the local authorities.
Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples? concept is not applicable to Lesotho. However, in the interest of local community participation, the following holds: Significant participation will initially be induced by having open discussion sessions about the project in its kick-starting stages. Discussing progress and challenges openly and sharing the achievement of targets. This will be complemented by study tour to a places where other communities are successfully achieving results under nearly similar circumstances.
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
Socio-economic or alternative livelihoods activities spinning out of the project implementation are:
1. Ecological recovery of the rangeland brings with it biodiversity that opens up a plethora of opportunities of environmental services, goods and attractions.
2. Improvement of livestock implies access to livestock bi-products that has a potential to boost the local economy.
3. Re-introduction of livestock auctions will bring immediate reversal of access to cash.
Replication of project activities
The Government of Lesotho has instituted a relief programme whereby local communities are engaged in a cash-for-work programme for brush control. Mofolaneng Grazing Association is one of the CBOs that benefitted from this programme. The Association also gained skills and knowledge on high density grazing through a GIZ supported project on Khubelu Sponges protection. When a call for proposals was issued in 2016, the Association applied for support to go solo to put the acquired skills to test. Let?eng Diamond Mine is also engaging the Association for controlled grazing on its property.
Policy Influence
The National Strategic Development Plan II (NSDPII) identifies Environment and Climate Change Mainstreaming into Policy and Programming as a cross-cutting outcome. Two of the interventions listed under this outcome are, "enhance watershed management programmes" and "increase productive capacity of rangelands." While Outcome 1.1 on Sustainable commercial agriculture and food security has improvement of management of range resources as one of its strategic objectives. The intervention like others implemented by grazing associations within the priority landscape is contributing towards rehabilitation and sustainable management of rangelands, with the overall objective of improving their productive capacity. Furthermore, the intervention is complementing the government relief programme on brush control and also towards attainment of the objectives of the national integrated catchment management project meant to safeguard the land and water resources of the country.
Capacity - Building Component
The highlands community are only partly aware of their impact on the land.
? The interventions will introduce a management aspect that they have mostly taken for granted as a given.
? Monitoring on agreed intervals, is something that needs addressing through capacity building.
? Piloting of an initiative prior to a full-blown activity needs workshopping to provide capacity at the community level.
? Mid-term review and performance evaluation are aspects for which community participation needs capacity building as these are critical building blocks in any intervention.
Planning non gef grant
The project falls within the upper reaches of the catchment for Phase II of the transboundary Lesotho Highlands Water Project, that entails construction of the Polihali Dam and reservoir. The partnership already established by the Association and the Water project will continue for years to come as the the Association is key, among other stakeholders, for safeguarding the life of the envisaged Dam. Furthermore, the Ministry of Water Resources is rolling out an integrated catchment management (ICM) programme under European Union Support. The Programme has a community grants component. The SGP Secretariat participates, together with UNDP, in the Development Partners Forum on Environment, Natural Resources and Resilience Forum which meets quarterly, coordinated by GIZ under the auspices of the ICM Programme. It is the intention of the SGP Secretariat in Lesotho to support all grantees to take advantage of the community grants to upscale achieved results.
Policy Impact
While land is communally owned, and increasingly utilized by subsistence farmers, the project, through multi-stakeholder participation, aims to improve individual responsibility for opening and certification to farmers? land-use practices.
Gender Focus
Women are ascribed to more domestic role and more docile type of tasks, while men undertake external and highly challenging tasks. There is already some transformation as women are involved in management in the association and are also involved in livestock activities such as classification of livestock bi-products and marketing. They are engaged in outdoor activities such as brush control and erosion control structures construction. The project will further open opportunities in strengthening their participation in dialogue in the conservation debate by publicly discussing project progress.
Notable Community Participation
Youth are involved in the project at three stages:
1. Part of the youth is the herders who are actually undertaking high-density grazing and mobile kraaling of livestock.
2. Part of the youth becomes involved on the environment day as well as the built-up to it.
3. Part of the youth becomes involved in public gatherings where project progress is discussed openly.
Project Results
- Brush control and sustainable rangeland/wetlands management in 3 cattle-post areas in Seate Community Council. With support from local authorities/Department of Range Management, cleared invasive shrubs resulting in 3339ha of rangeland including wetlands rehabilitated.
- Of this area, 421.3ha used mobile kraaling/high density grazing where 31 livestock farmers participated with >11,400 livestock (large/small). These livestock received prophylaxis with the result that they were protected from scab and other animal diseases and the owners averted the costs associated with prophylaxis and enhanced the quality of mohair for the 2021 season
-To avert the destruction caused by excessive runoff from main roads especially culverts, stone lines - were constructed covering a length of 2.580 km, to check runoff thereby protecting a vast area of wetlands in Mot?eremeli and Ramosetsana areas where brush control is completed.
- Work attracted Lesotho Highlands Development Authority constructing a dam/Phase II of transboundary Lesotho Highlands Water Project resulting in >1000 times the initial area reclaimed, involving the Association and the local community. Association, supported by local authorities is now in charge of coordinating grazing in entire area.
- During winter Association was approached by Let?eng Diamond Mine, located in the vicinity of project site, to coordinate implementation of high-density grazing on mine property. Association was responsible for issuance of grazing permits with 22 farmers benefitting
- Requisite equipment for brush control have been procured: chain saw, pick axes, tents and consumables for mobile kraaling
- Working jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, more than 11,400 sheep were vaccinated against scab and worms; 31 farmers benefitted from this campaign.
- More than 20 women have now joined Association, with 75 households benefitting from the solar lights revolving/income generating scheme aimed at covering most households in the long-term.
- In a bid to strengthen involvement of herders/herd boys, who true stewards of land and water resources, the Association facilitated participation of 59 herd boys in the Green-A-Cattle Post campaign organized to encourage voluntary engagement in brush control in rangelands. Participating herders/herd boys were equipped with protective clothing (gumboots, balaclavas/woolen hats, socks and overalls) which came in handy as they will be able to brave the harsh winters of he mountain region.
- A contributing factor to the achievement of the the results is a series of training workshops provided under the capacity development grant: Leadership and conflict management; financial management and budget tracking; partnerships and resources mobilization; rotational grazing and high density grazing; educational tours and peer-to-peer exchange visits.
- A total of 7 men and 5 women benefitted from the training that have enabled them to manage conflicts and to better manage implementation of their project, the first which trusted them to enter into a contract, receive money and to use and account for it themselves
- A total of 803 people (552 men, 192 women, 59 herders) in one way on the other benefitted from the project :trainings, awareness campaigns, livestock vaccinations, good forage for livestock.
