The Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) in the Kingdom of Lesotho recently completed signing of a contract on the engagement of a consulting firm for the Design and Supervision of the construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure under the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) in Lesotho. The contract is between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and TM2 Consultancy, a Lesotho based consultancy firm. The firm has already started preliminary assessment of the status of existing buildings at three Research Stations, design of access road to the main Maseru research station as well as design of the new office building for DAR.
APPSA is a six-year regional programme supported by the World Bank and coordinated by the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA). APPSA seeks to promote a regional approach to agricultural research, technology generation and dissemination by supporting the strengthening and scaling up of Regional Centres of Leadership (RCoL) on commodities of regional importance.
APPSA-Lesotho is in the process of establishing an RCoL for Horticulture in Maseru at the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) main station with other branches in four Regional Research stations (RRs) in the three agroecological zones of Lesotho. The four stations are Mokhotlong (mountains), Mahobong (northern lowlands), Siloe (southern lowlands) Nyakosoba and Machache (foothills).
TM2 Consultancy has been introduced to the heads of targeted districts, the District Administrators and heads of departments. They have also been introduced to village chiefs, counselors, and farmers’ representatives. The intention of these introductory briefing sessions was to inform all stakeholders and solicit their support, appreciation and ownership of the envisioned research and infrastructural developments. APPSA Lesotho was represented by the Project Manager, RCoL-Coordinator, Procurement Manager, Commodity Leader-infrastructure, Environment and Social Safeguards Specialist, and Technology Dissemination Officer.
APPSA- Lesotho Project Manager, Mr Mabusetsa Makau, pleaded with both the districts and area authorities to afford the firm all the necessary support. He emphasized that the research and infrastructural developments are meant to serve the farming communities. In response, the districts and area authorities expressed their satisfaction regarding the developments and pledged their support and security of the infrastructure.
Source: Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) of Lesotho
