IN a year inevitably shaped by the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Standard Lesotho Bank has decided to shift focus from giving out food parcels, to boosting vulnerable communities through sustainable investment in crop farming.

The bank has partnered with other role players that include the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security as well as the Ministry of Social Development and that of Forestry, Range and Soil Conservation.

The idea is to empower vulnerable Basotho groups to engage in agricultural projects that are self-sustainable and in line with the prevailing economic conditions.

Giving out food parcels has on the other hand proven to be unsustainable, providing a short-term solution, which in turn means people will subsequently continue to suffer going forward. 

But crop farming projects will bring lasting solutions if well managed.

“Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people suffered and were in need of food assistance. So just like other corporates, we embarked on a journey and moved around the country giving out food parcels to the most vulnerable groups in our society.

“But while in that process, the bank realised that food parcels do not bring lasting solutions to the challenges of hunger and poverty, hence we decided to introduce more sustainable agriculture projects that are likely to change lives forever. This is because we cannot guarantee that food parcels will always be available when in need,” Standard Lesotho Bank head of Marketing Manyathela Kheleli told Metro on Tuesday.

In 2020, the blue bank embarked on a pilot project in Mafeteng and Kolo, Ha Mohlalefi where vulnerable groups in all the nine villages, as identified by the Ministry of Social Development, were given financial assistance to kick start agriculture projects.

Under the project, beneficiaries were able to produce 24 bags of beans, valued at 50 kg each. After packaging, a total of 207 bags valued at 5kg each were produced. The families shared 100 bags while the rest will be sold to generate income.

“This was a pilot project but we are happy with what has been achieved. It means we have enabled these people to be in a position to feed themselves for many years to come. And because of the level of dedication that we saw, we gave them M21 000 to prepare for winter cropping and see how far they can go. This time they decided to produce peas with the same goal of selling and earning income for themselves,” Mr Kheleli said.

He said the bank will now rollout the same project in all the 10 districts of the country. Ground work has already begun to identify communities that deserve assistance.