OUR VISION AND MISSION
LENAFU vision and mission are coherent and respond clearly to the challenges of a farmers in Lesotho. The main challenge is unheard voice of fragmented and weak farmers’ sector.
General challenges facing the agriculture and food security sector in Lesotho
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Mission
Empower and organize farmers for profitable agriculture and effective policy engagement.
Vision
Lesotho where a farmer excels in production and other value chain aspects to sufficiently meet own needs and adequately satisfy markets
LENAFU principles
LENAFU was formed to unite farmers into a vibrant solidarity platform that shall amplify their voice in transforming agriculture in Lesotho. This emanates from a premise that agriculture in the country is fast deteriorating and potential of farmers to reverse the situation thwarted in the sophistication of bureaucratic implementation agencies of otherwise well-expressed policy intentions.
Our principles
- – Equal participation
- – Accountability and transparency
- – Inclusiveness and relevance
- – Mutual respect and trust
- – Integrity and confidentiality
- – Collective ownership and equality
- – Effective and accurate representation of members’ interest
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STRATEGIC PILLAR 1: Farmer mobilisation, mentoring and empowerment
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Purpose
To strengthen farmers work in the various components of agriculture in Lesotho |
| Strategic objective
Support farmer initiatives to maximise production, penetrate markets and get profitable returns.
Key Areas:
- – Develop, maintain and utilise farmers’ catalogue with profiles for intensified commodity production, coordination and market planning;
- – Train and provide targeted back up support to farmers to maximise their potential in their specific areas of involvement in agriculture;
- – Research on, expose farmers to and link them with different stakeholders and opportunities in value chain
- – Promote active participation of youth, women, people with disabilities and other vulnerable sectors of society in agriculture
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STRATEGIC PILLAR 2: Advocacy & policy engagement
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Purpose
To break barriers to the realisation of farmers’ needs and make their voices heard in the policy discourse in Lesotho |
| Strategic Objective: represent farmers and demand policy response to their challenges
Key Areas:
- – Do research on farmers’ challenges and opportunities and advocate for policy response.
- – Train members on evidence based advocacy and support localised action;
- – Take stock of and study policies that have bearing on agriculture and map necessary advocacy, implementation and monitoring action;
- – Advocate for farmer-led policy response & implementation on farmers access to inputs, markets, finance, insurance and other enabling credit support ;
- – Demand sufficient farmer representation in the determination of agricultural sector policy, agricultural national mid-term and annual policy prioritisation & budget, annual farming planning & evaluation;
- – Campaign for farmer centred resource centre planning and management fully aligned to the local government dispensation;
- – Run periodic, joint and time-bound campaigns on various issues concern to farmers.
- – Amplify Lesotho farmers’ voice on national, regional, continental and global issues.
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STRATEGIC PILLAR 3: Building farmers movement
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Purpose
To develop a strong and reliable platform able to articulate and act upon farmers needs at local and national level |
| Strategic Objective: Unionise all farmers and capacitate district, commodity, non-state and other emerging farmer categories to advance their representation function
Key Areas:
- – Support participatory development and implementation of LENAFU affiliate strategic plans feeding into the national strategy;
- – Use affiliates to advocate for effective extension services on new technologies, climate change adaptation strategies, right subsidy targeting, fair distribution of opportunities;
- – Train affiliates on evidence based advocacy that informs local and national advocacy programme;
- – Collect and disseminate market, pricing and other necessary farmer related information to affiliates;
- – Support affiliates to carry out farmers profiling and promotion for local and eventually national and regional markets;
- – Unionise unaffiliated farmers, incorporate and promote emerging commodity/industries such as machinery, bee and agricultural service groups e.g marketing groups.
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STRATEGIC PILLAR 4: Research and Communication
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Purpose
To collect/solicit knowledge and provide up-to-date, reliable and farmer user-friendly information to LENAFU fraternity |
| Strategic Objective: To find latest developments in various sectors of agriculture and inform LENAFU membership promptly for timeous action to mitigate danger and maximise opportunities. |
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Key Areas:
- – Develop a repertoire of relevant agri-news, repackage and devise means of making them easily accessible to LENAFU affiliates and farmers directly;
- – Devise info/news share and dialogue among farmers and between them and leaders and service providers;
- – Digitise farmer communication through conventional and social media & communication
- – Put products and other aspects of work of LENAFU members on the public space and promote buy local slogans and campaigns;
- – Popularise work of LENAFU members and promote members’ products.
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