Irrigation Prospects in Lesotho:An Appraisal of the Seaka Irrigation Project

Abstract

Irrigation farming has been practised in Lesotho for over thirty years and yet, to date, there is very little noticeable success. The objective of the paper is to investigate the perceptions of farmers with regard to the causes of failure of the Seaka Irrigation Project. The findings of the study indicate that, the planning, design and implementation of the project were imposed by the decision-makers on the community of the Lower Senqu Valley. The community is generally uneducated and, as a result, struggled to understand the share-out mechanisms related to block farming. In addition, the financial implications of running irrigation farming were not properly understood. Despite past failures, the majority of the farmers within the study indicated readiness to participate in irrigation projects provided that factors which led to the collapse of the Seaka Irrigation Project are fully addressed. There was a strong feeling that a fully participatory project with community initiative could make a positive contribution to the valley’s economy.