The report evaluates the vulnerabilities, challenges, and opportunities in the Lesotho water management system. It offers an analysis on the need to ensure continued development of one of the Mountain Kingdoms most valuable natural assets, its water resources, in order to increase security around the nexus of water, food, and energy along with sustained economic development. This is in line with the World Bank Group’s goal to support the most vulnerableby ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity.
The report also finds that investing in irrigation could boost incomes and enhance food security, especially in an environment in which agricultural production is dependent on rain. Realizing the Government’s ambition for the development of 12,000 ha of irrigation could significantly impact crop production with additional maize, beans, peas, sorghum, and wheat ranging of 70,000 to more than 100,000 tonnes per year. This would represent an increase in yields of as much as 50%, depending on the climate scenario.
The report also recommends improved data needed to continue to develop more sophisticated analyses of the complex issues around the country’s most important natural resource. Data constrains around agriculture, the economic uses and value of water, climate and hydrology have the potential to undermine future opportunities.
Read more here: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2016/09/14/lesotho-needs-enhanced-water-infrastructure-to-build-climate-resilience
