Agrivoltaics and Centre for Certified Seeds Programme

The negative impact brought by climate change has caused the lack of seeds both crops seeds and vegetables seeds for human lives and livestock. Due to severe drought and hailstorm. The non existence of centres for Certified Seeds and unavailability of electricity in other parts of the country, especially for poor rural farming communities.

Lesotho Agrivoltaics and Centre for Certified Seeds Programme will be the answer to all those above mentioned challenges. Because the establishment or construction of centres to carryout the seeds breeding, banking, multiplication and ongoing research network will provide the farmers with seeds. The construction of mini Solar power station to supply electricity to the mini laboratory at center, the harvesting of underground water for Irrigation purposes of tunnels of seedlings trials and multiplication fields of crops and vegetables. The use of available resources like soil, sun and water for food production is the whole idea of this solution.

The poor rural farming communities and marginalized indigenous communities will be able to get the seeds to increase food security in their respective households. While the research will contribute to find the suitable crops varieties during this climate change era. The farmers are facing the critical situation of food insecurity because they are not able to get the farming inputs in the country.

The team is built up of some experts and the farmers who really owns the land. The members has been practicing the seeds potatoes multiplication and now they only need infrastructure and the financial assistance to carryout the programme.

Our organization has been registered already with registration number 2012/640. The project of seeds potatoes multiplication has been started with the members, even though they were producing individually. That is where we realized that there is a need for expansion and the construction of Store, offices, mini laboratory, tunnels and mini solar power station.

The relevant ministry and the National University of Lesotho has consulted with its faculty of agriculture.

We believe MIT Solve guidelines are helping us to understand clearly what our programme needs to follow. As a results with the questions asked here we are able to prioritize our programme needs.

Since the clean energy(solar power system ) has never been used in Lesotho for irrigation purposes, especially for agro-Industry. This innovation will help the poor rural marginalized farming communities with power to supply their irrigation schemes. The irrigated communal gardens methods has never been practiced, but if this method can be practiced the communities wouldn't be affected by climate change in a negative way. While their gardens are being covered with shade nets.

During covid19 even before the pandemics, Lesotho has been suffering the lack of seeds and as a result the food insecurity rate increases by alarming rate. The borders to other countries to purchase seeds started to be problematic. Therefore the founder of this organization realized that there must be a groups of farmers who will at end build a national body representing the Seeds collection, breeding, banking and marketing as well as multiplication farmers. Who shall be in the position to multiply the seeds for the next generation without crossing borders to find seeds. This will be followed by ongoing research network through the Centre for Certified Seeds.

Since the rate of food security will be increased ,the number of farmers participating, the number of fields used for seeds multiplication. The number of tonnes of seeds produced and sold. These will be measured through a designed tools of Monitoring and Evaluation system. Zero hunger sustainable development goal will be achieved. The irrigation of seeds multiplication fields and communal gardens shall be in place to help increase the number workers including women and youth in farming communities.

The Agrivoltaics itself will be measured through the use of Sun rays to generate electricity to supply the irrigation schemes while using the Soil to increase food security with underground Water harvesting. Since the expected hacters will be huge. The use of drones will be more important for monitoring the fields operations recordings. While the National University of Lesotho will be responsible to design the learning modules for participating farmers. Especially those who are illiterate. The computerized fields recording for information dissemination shall be included.

10> Co founding members

7>  Executive committee members

6> Women+Youth

4> Men

The expected seeds multiplication farmers are 500 with +/- 2 hacters per farmer.

While the expected Irrigated communal gardens will be 1600. Each ICG with 15-25 members. One member household having 7 family members in average.

The contractors to build mini Solar Power Station

Drilling underground boreholes for each irrigated communal garden

Fencing of each ICG

Plumbers for irrigation schemes

Electricians

The organization had registered during 2012, but since then the members were producing individually without any solution. This means no infrastructure has started yet.

The organization has decided to build the tasks teams according to activities. There are four teams.

Team 1= To coordinate activities between the communities and the programme

Team 2= To carryout ongoing research activities and seeds banking and breeding.

Team 3= Supervising the fields activities.

Team 4= To facilitate, monitor and evaluate the programme activities

Each team is built up with 1 to 3 members of organization together with relevant ministries or stakeholders.

The Agrivoltaics and Centre for Certified Seeds Programme is the beginning of agro-Industry Lesotho and reduction of dependency on the other countries to supply the country with seeds, especially commercial crops. The vulnerable, poor rural farming communities who are not able to move from their country to another countries are the main targets. More than 75% of the population of Lesotho rely on farming practices for their means of living, but surprisingly the source of getting seeds it is the government. During the the government delay to sell the inputs(seeds) the farmers are not able to plant , which resulted with failure to plant during those planting seasons. Therefore the organization will be able to collect indigenous crops/ vegetables varieties. Propagate them, breeding new varieties which will be suitable for farmers during this climate change era. The farming communities will be able to get seeds locally and regionally.

The farming communities are relying on government to sell the seeds while it is not the mandate of the government to make a business. The government is buying the seeds from other countries to sell them to the farmers. This means our organization will be able to breed enough varieties to sell them to the farmers through 2 ways sources. (1) From the breeding program carried out by the programme with it's leased fields. (2) Those 500 participating farmers, the programme will get 30% of the seeds they multiply and be sold to the normal farmers or the government. The loans can be another option if the organization will be having assurance to put in place during operations. Maybe the grants can be the last option. The irrigated communal gardens members are expected to form Seeds credit schemes and open the bank accounts where they will be able to get small loans to purchase seeds and the garden tools.