Improving adaptive capacity of vulnerable and food-insecure populations in Lesotho

Over recent decades, Lesotho has experienced an increased frequency, duration and magnitude of weather phenomena and extreme events, including prolonged dry spells, recurrent droughts, intense rainfall, localised floods, heavy as well as early and late snowfall, hailstorms and strong winds. The projected changes in climatic conditions by 2030, 2050 and 2080 show there will be increasing climatic variability, and frequency and intensity of extreme weather events: this includes droughts and heavy rainfall and captures the magnitude of non-average climatic events over short timescales rather than direction of change.

The impact of frequent extreme weather events already fragile agricultural productivity has translated into declining incomes as well as severe and chronic food and nutrition insecurity for most households, and at the national level.

The main goal of the project is to enhance the adaptive capacity and build the resilience of vulnerable and food insecure households and communities to the impacts of climate change on food security.

The project will achieve this by pursuing the following three objectives:

1. Strengthening government capacities to generate climate information and promote its use to forecast risks of climate shocks, mobilise early action, and co-develop tailored and locally relevant climate services for communities;
2. Raising awareness of communities, women, youth, people living with HIV, and other vulnerable groups on the impacts of climate change, the importance of adaptation, and the use of climate information for seasonal planning and climate risk management; and
3. Designing and implementing, through a community-based planning process, local resilience and adaptation plans focusing on robust asset creation schemes, income diversification and market linkages, for increased adaptive capacity and household resilience.

Project Documents