The food security situation in Lesotho has slightly improved over the past six months, a new report says.
According to the recently published Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Acute Food Insecurity Analysis, the improvement is largely due to ongoing humanitarian assistance, such as cash and food transfers from the government, humanitarian organisations, and United Nations agencies. This significantly helped to reduce food gaps.
The report also says the number of Basotho facing severe food insecurity is expected to decrease by 68,000, from 403,000 to 335,000, between May 2024 and March 2025.
“During this period, key hazards anticipated include heavy rainfall, following a normal to above-normal rainfall forecast across all districts, along with episodes of high temperatures.
“Additional challenges include declining income sources, such as lower livestock sales due to increased market competition and some restrictions on livestock movement across the border to South Africa, where other areas have market opportunities,” the IPC noted.