Current national activities and plans in the areas of environmental statistics and indicators in Lesotho

Abstract

Lesotho's greatest natural asset is the water resources, which are being developed through the Lesotho highlands Water Project'(LHWP). The project has two functional objectives; the transference of water to the Republic of South Africa, which began in September this year (1997) and the generation of Electricity for Lesotho. Agriculture. is the main economic activity for the majority of the population. Farmland is scarce because of soil erosion and landlessness is common. Average holdings amount to 3.85 hectares of arable land per household. Over the past decade, the area of cultivation has declined by a third from 450,000 hectares in the 1960'sto 300,000 hectares in the 1990 Many factors have contributed to this reduction; drought, soil erosion unstainable land management practices and excessive livestock numbers, to mention a few.