The socio-economic impact of poverty reduction in Lesotho : a survey of poor households at Taung in the Mohale's Hoek district, Lesotho.

Abstract

This is a dissertation on the socio-economic impact of poverty reduction in Lesotho.

The major thrust of the study was to address the problem of low community

participation inherent in development activities. This was triggered off by the high

incidence of poverty in Lesotho. The researcher had prior belief that this was a result

of low levels of community participation. The study was meant to contribute to

knowledge and test research hypotheses and theories. It was proposed that various

programmes or initiatives can improve the socio-economic condition of the rural poor

through enhanced community participation.

Interviews, questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to elicit data from

the respondents. Qualitative and quantitative techniques were employed in the

collection and analysis of data. The research focused on three villages in rural

Lesotho. These are Liphiring, Majapereng and Qhalasi, all found at Taung in the

Mohale's Hoek district. Also, development professionals in government and voluntary

agencies were consulted for information. The total sample of 158 respondents was

used for the study.

The results of the study indicate very low levels of socio-economic development in

the three villages. Unemployment was found to be at the head of all malaises. It is

strongly demonstrated that government programmes have failed to ameliorate the

situation. The failures of subsistence agriculture and limited non-farm activities have

led to greater dependence of the villagers on government aid. The study has noted

poor organizational capacity resulting in political conflicts in the villages. In addition,

the study unearthed poor co-ordination and lack of collaboration between government

and other development agents in the anti-poverty project. Finally, the study uncovered

that programmes respond poorly to villagers' needs. The majority of households are of

one mind that government programmes need to be restructured in order to better serve

their needs. In the main, the study has noted very little achievement in poverty

reduction. This research has shown that this resulted from low levels of community

participation and poor implementation of policies by the government.