Promoting Climate Smart Agricultural Practices and Advisory Services

Component Summary

This component aims at strengthening the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers to adjust and modify their
production systems to minimize the potential future impacts from climate variability. The component focuses on: (i)
scaling-up the adoption of climate smart agriculture (CSA) technologies by farmers and enhancing farm management
practices aimed at improving soil health, water-use efficiency, crop diversification, and farm productivity; (ii) promoting
more efficient use of surface water accompanied with more sustainable use of groundwater, leading to improved
availability and quality of water at the farm level; and (iii) improving access to climate and market advisory services
through Information and Communications Technology (ICT), thereby strengthening farmers’ adaptation and resilience.

Sub Components

Capacity Building in CSA Practices

The aim of this subcomponent is to increase the knowledge and skills of farmers and agro-processors, national- and district-level extension staff as well as agro-dealers in well-tested and proven climate smart agricultural technologies.

The training program would comprise a menu of CSA technologies, including, inter alia, improved and stress-tolerant seed varieties (high yielding varieties, nutrient dense crops, heat, drought and pest and disease resistant varieties); conservation agriculture and integrated soil fertility management (minimum tillage, crop rotations, crop residue management, contour
ploughing, terracing, soil testing and fertility management practices); irrigation (drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, water
harvesting, protection against water and wind erosion, infiltration weirs to improve recharge while reducing erosion);
agroforestry (establishment of seed multiplication and tree nurseries, fruit tree cultivation, windbreaks, hedgerows,
farmer-managed natural regeneration); climate-smart livestock production (improved animal nutrition, quality control of livestock products, animal disease surveillance).

Rehabilitation and Modernization of Irrigation Infrastructure

This sub-component aims to increase climate resilience and productivity in areas of high agricultural potential,
through improved water use efficiency and increased access to irrigation. Given the critical need for irrigation in Lesotho, the GoL has requested World Bank support for irrigation under the SADP-II in parallel with the preparation of a National
Irrigation Master Plan (NIMP) under the ongoing SADP.

As the NIMP is expected to take approximately 8-10 months to complete, a first level of interventions, viz. “no-regret” investments will be financed to identify, assess and fully restore
existing irrigation infrastructure to original as-designed status.

Such no-regret investments will be undertaken in areas
of high agricultural potential and will involve no water abstraction from transboundary water sources.