Agriculture is vital to the livelihoods of many people in rural areas of Lesotho, where about 66% of the population resides, 85% of whom engage in smallholder farming. However, floods and droughts have caused agricultural production and productivity to plummet over the last three decades. A team of local PEP researchers found that men and women try to insure themselves against climate shocks through farming and non-farming activities, but women are more vulnerable and have limited coping strategies compared to men. Promoting agricultural activities that are less vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as livestock farming, may help rural households retain their living standards.
Find out more about the research methods, findings and policy recommendations in the following PEP publications:
