Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with Thabo Mofosi, Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition of the Kingdom of Lesotho

Rome - Director-General QU Dongyu and H.E. Thabo Mofosi, Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition of the Kingdom of Lesotho held a bilateral meeting today during which the Minister conveyed the appreciation of his government for FAO’s continued support, as well as for the continued support to His Majesty King Letsie III in his role as FAO Goodwill Ambassador for Nutrition. The Minister also referred to the strong collaboration between Lesotho and FAO in the context of the Hand-in-Hand (HiHi) and One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiatives.

The Minister also touched upon the importance of water, livestock, data collection and analysis, and the critical role of science and innovation in agrifood systems transformation.  Finally, the Minister also conveyed Lesotho’s ongoing commitment to continue engaging with FAO towards the eradication of hunger, achieving the SDGs, and supporting women and youth with job generation in the agrifood sectors.

For his part the Director-General reiterated his commitment to support Lesotho and the African continent in agrifood systems transformation.  He cited South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) as a key avenue through which agrifood industries and value chains can be further developed and supported in the Kingdom, while also stressing that linkages with the private sector and others through HiHi, OCOP and other initiatives are essential to generate targeted action and investment that spur agrifood systems transformation.

The two also exchanged views on the importance of high-quality seeds, increasing knowledge of agricultural production practices, knowledge sharing and dissemination (via demonstration plots and other means), and other areas of work that can support improved agricultural production and marketing in the country.  Finally, they touched upon the importance of digital tools and platforms to support farmers and the country in marketing agricultural products to international markets.