Sustainable rural development in Lesotho

[摘要] English: The sustainability of rural development policies, strategies and projects formulated andimplemented in Lesotho since independence in 1966 was investigated in this thesis. This wasaccomplished through the use of secondary and primary data. Secondary data was collected onall major rural development projects. Primary data was sought on the sustainability of theactivities initiated by the Farm Improvement with soil conservation (FISC)/Production ThroughConservation (PTC) project in the Mohale's hoek district which was used as a case study. Theprimary data collection involved the use of a questionnaire administered to 200 rural householdsselected through the use of a multi -stage sampling procedure from the households in the villageswhere the proj eet operated.At both the national level and the local FISC/PTC project level, the results of the study showedthat the modus operandi used in donor assistance, the politicians, decision-makers and plannerscontributed in part to the lack of sustainable rural development in Lesotho. However, the studyconcluded that the biggest contribution to the demise of sustainable rural development in Lesothocame from the communities themselves due to their lack of willingness to change theirperceptions of, and attitudes towards, development. The communities were reluctant and leavethe unsustainable conveniences accorded by their old lifestyles to which they were accustomedfor centuries and throughout generations, and adapt to the costs, pains and risks that accompaniedchanges in their life-styles introduced by sustainable development in their communities andregions.

[发布机构] University of the Free State