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LESOTHO / POTATO PRIORITY

In 2022, Lesotho joined FAO's One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, selecting potato as its priority crop. Three years later, the initiative is transforming a nation’s vision and women’s livelihoods.

Language English

Country Lesotho

Duration 5m27s

Edit Version International

Video Type Video News Release (VNR)

Date 08/29/2025

File size 719.93 MB

Unique ID UF1AFNV

Production details and shotlist

UNFAO Source FAO Video

Shotlist STORY: LESOTHO / POTATO PRIORITY
TRT: 5’:28’’
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / SESOTHO / NATS
DATELINE: 26-29 MAY 2025, LESOTHO

SHOTLIST:
26 May 2025, Semonkong, Maseru District, Lesotho
1. Wide shot, farmers going to work with a donkey
2. Med shot, Maleuta Mahao, potato farmer, harvesting potatoes
3. Close-up, hands cleaning potatoes

29 May 2025, Maseru, Lesotho
4. SOUNDBITE (English) King Letsie III of Lesotho: "What motivated Lesotho to engage and participate in the program is that we had already, for a number of years, researched. And through that research, we realized that there is a product that we can grow in Lesotho, that can contribute to agricultural growth and agricultural transformation. And that product is the potato."

26 May 2025, Semonkong, Maseru District, Lesotho
5. Med shot, Maleuta Mahao, potato farmer, harvesting potatoes
6. Close-up, hands digging in soil
7. Wide shot, Maleuta Mahao, potato farmer, carrying a box of potatoes
8. SOUNDBITE (Sesotho) Maleuta Mahao, 27, potato farmer: "Farming is important for young people because it allows us to create our own jobs, earn an income to support ourselves, and feed our families."
9. Close-up, freshly harvested potatoes
10. Wide shot, Maleuta Mahao, potato farmer, harvesting potatoes
11. Med shot, Maleuta Mahao, potato farmer
12. SOUNDBITE (Sesotho) Maleuta Mahao, 27, potato farmer: "The biggest challenge that I experienced was that I did not have money to buy potato seeds, but FAO helped me with potato seeds and fertilizer."
13. Camera car, houses and cultivated fields in Maseru District

27 May 2025, Semonkong, Maseru District, Lesotho
14. Med shot, female farmer carrying a bag full of potatoes
15. Med shot, female farmer peeling potatoes
16. Close-up, hands cutting a potato

29 May 2025, Maseru, Lesotho
17. SOUNDBITE (English) King Letsie III of Lesotho: "Women have been at the forefront of agricultural production for decades, if not centuries. And I believe that if we unlock the commercial potential of the potato, it can enhance and empower women in our rural communities."

28 May 2025, Tikoe, Maseru District, Lesotho
18. Wide shot, street market
19. Wide shot, sign reading “Upper Qeme – Fresh Produce Market”
20. Med shot, potato bags

27 May 2025, Tikoe, Maseru District, Lesotho
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Nthimo Mokitinyane, FAO’s OCOP Focal Point in Lesotho: "This program is ideal for the mountain regions that are known to be poverty hotspots. And if we get it right, the nutrition outcomes, poverty reduction that come with that would be massive."

28 May 2025, Tikoe, Maseru District, Lesotho
22. Wide shot, Maluti Fresh Produce Market aggregation centre
23. Med shot, potato bags
24. Tilt down, from price tag to potato bags

29 May 2025, Maseru, Lesotho
25. SOUNDBITE (Sesotho) Thabo Mofosi, Minister of Agriculture of Lesotho: "Currently, we produce about 9 000 tons of potatoes each year, but within the next two years, we aim to increase production to 24 000 tons. This will greatly help us reduce our reliance on importing food products and seeds from neighbouring countries. In this way, potato farming can help bring back our people who left the country to find work elsewhere."

27 May 2025, Semonkong, Maseru District, Lesotho
26. Wide shot, Mabitsoane Diholo, potato farmer, walking in a potato field
27. Med shot, Mabitsoane Diholo, potato farmer, harvesting a potato
28. Close-up, Mabitsoane Diholo, potato farmer
29. SOUNDBITE (Sesotho) Mabitsoane Diholo, 53, potato farmer: "My harvest is plentiful, there is so much that it fills my house, and I am running out of space. I now have a steady supply of potatoes to prepare for potato consumers in my food catering business."
30. Wide shot, Mabitsoane Diholo, potato farmer, selecting and storing potatoes in her house
31. Med shot, Mabitsoane Diholo, potato farmer, selecting and storing potatoes in her house
32. Close-up, hand piling up potatoes

26 May 2025, Semonkong, Maseru District, Lesotho
33. SOUNDBITE (Sesotho) Maleuta Mahao, 27, potato farmer: "My dream is to see a bigger harvest in the future so that I can sell more produce and earn an income and to sustainably feed my family from my produce."
34. Med shot, Maleuta Mahao, potato farmer, taking a box full of potatoes
35. Med shot, Maleuta Mahao, potato farmer, carrying a box full of potatoes
36. Zoom out, cultivated fields

ENDS

Script The King of Lesotho said potato can contribute to the country's agricultural growth and agricultural transformation. Once grown mainly for family consumption, the potato is now a symbol of national transformation for Lesotho. In 2022, Lesotho joined the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), selecting potato as its priority crop.

King Letsie III of Lesotho, an FAO Special Goodwill Ambassador for Nutrition, highlighted that potatoes are central to Lesotho’s strategy for food security and economic resilience.

SOUNDBITE (English) King Letsie III of Lesotho:
"What motivated Lesotho to engage and participate in the program is that we had already, for a number of years, researched. And through that research, we realized that there is a product that we can grow in Lesotho, that can contribute to agricultural growth and agricultural transformation. And that product is the potato."

Potatoes, known for their climate resilient qualities, thrive in the country’s mountain regions, home to many vulnerable communities.

27-year-old farmer Maleuta Mahao started growing potatoes two years ago in 2023 in Semonkong, a remote town located 2 200 meters above sea level in the Maseru District.

SOUNDBITE (Sesotho) Maleuta Mahao, 27, potato farmer:
"Farming is important for young people because it allows us to create our own jobs, earn an income to support ourselves, and feed our families."

Maleuta is one of 750 farmers supported by FAO with improved seed, fertilizer, and training through this initiative. Starting with just 25 kilograms of seed, she recently harvested over 300 kilograms of potatoes.

SOUNDBITE (Sesotho) Maleuta Mahao, 27, potato farmer:
"The biggest challenge that I experienced was that I did not have money to buy potato seeds, but FAO helped me with potato seeds and fertilizer."

Women make up more than 60 percent of OCOP-supported farmers, explained King Letsie III of Lesotho, underscoring the importance of empowering rural women through this crop.

SOUNDBITE (English) King Letsie III of Lesotho:
"Women have been at the forefront of agricultural production for decades, if not centuries. And I believe that if we unlock the commercial potential of the potato, it can enhance and empower women in our rural communities."

Lesotho’s high-altitude climate provides ideal potato farming conditions. Productivity in pilot areas increased by up to 20 percent under this initiative, according to Nthimo Mokitinyane, FAO’s OCOP Focal Point in Lesotho.

SOUNDBITE (English) Nthimo Mokitinyane, FAO’s OCOP focal point in Lesotho:
"This program is ideal for the mountain regions that are known to be poverty hotspots. And if we get it right, the nutrition outcomes, poverty reduction that come with that would be massive."

The goal is not just food security, but economic transformation explained Thabo Mofosi, Minister of Agriculture of Lesotho. Building local capacity to produce more would reduce the country's reliance on imported food and attract young people struggling to find jobs.

SOUNDBITE (Sesotho) Thabo Mofosi, Minister of Agriculture of Lesotho:
"Currently, we produce about 9 000 tons of potatoes each year, but within the next two years, we aim to increase production to 24 000 tons. This will greatly help us reduce our reliance on importing food products and seeds from neighbouring countries. In this way, potato farming can help bring back our people who left the country to find work elsewhere."

A primary activity of the OCOP initiative is to increase farmers' income by connecting them to local markets.

Mabitsoane Diholo, a 53-year-old farmer and mother of seven who is a lead farmer and active member of the Potato Lesotho Association, used to sell potatoes by the road.

She managed to increase her production with the seeds and fertilizers provided by FAO. She now sells the potatoes she grows to Maluti Fresh Produce Market in Maseru. She also runs a roadside eatery and mentors other farmers in her community.

SOUNDBITE (Sesotho) Mabitsoane Diholo, 53, potato farmer:
"My harvest is plentiful, there is so much that it fills my house, and I am running out of space. I now have a steady supply of potatoes to prepare for potato consumers in my food catering business."

For Mabitsoane, farming has also become a means to invest in education, enabling her daughter to attend university. Maleuta, meanwhile, dreams of expanding her business and achieving a sustainable future.

SOUNDBITE (Sesotho) Maleuta Mahao, 53, potato farmer:
"My dream is to see a bigger harvest in the future so that I can sell more produce and earn an income and to sustainably feed my family from my produce."

FAO’s OCOP initiative works by helping countries focus on one strategic crop and strengthen its full value chain from seeds to sales. For Lesotho, the potato is no longer just a staple. It’s a catalyst for women’s empowerment, youth employment and a more resilient rural future.

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