Lesotho – Boosting Poultry Productivity

Global / Partnership, Capacity Building, Educational Resource

The World Poultry Foundation (WPF) partners with local organizations in Lesotho to build institutional capacity, improve poultry production systems, and expand access to practical training and value chain support for farmers.

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In 2026, the World Poultry Foundation (WPF) began a new phase of work in Lesotho with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), building on earlier investments in training and value chain development.

Through this partnership, WPF is working to strengthen local poultry entities by building institutional capacity, improving technical performance, and supporting teams that work directly with farmers. The focus is on building local capacity to lead practical, sustainable poultry training and ongoing farmer support with organizations in Lesotho that work directly with farmers to expand access to quality birds, improve household nutrition, and support resilient livelihoods.

This work includes targeted training, technical assessments of production sites, and advisory support to ensure local partners are well-equipped to deliver effective services to poultry producers over the long term.

Prior to this new phase, in 2024, WPF contributed to poultry sector development in Lesotho through the Sustainable Transformation of Enterprises in the Poultry Sector (STEPS) Program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Lesotho, implemented by Land O’Lakes Venture37. As part of this initiative, WPF led the development of poultry training curricula for broilers, layers, and dual-purpose birds, while also providing partner training, value chain advisory support, and cost modeling to strengthen long-term impact.

Working alongside the KwaZulu-Natal Poultry Training Institute (KZNPI), the Rural Self-Help Development Association (RSDA), and a national working group of local stakeholders, WPF developed and tailored the training content to Lesotho’s unique high-altitude conditions, including climate, pest, and resource challenges. The content was developed using a collaborative approach, involving the Working Group at each stage of development. The final versions of these curricula were shared with the working group in 2025, laying the foundation for broader poultry adoption.

Download our Lesotho-specific Manuals:

In addition to curriculum design, WPF also contributed technical expertise to support RSDA in their development of a value chain for dual-purpose poultry. The WPF helped develop a site plan for their parent stock farm, placement plans for parent stock flock to reach the program targets, and cost models to ensure pricing and field mentorship was aligned with a profitable approach for farmers.

While the STEPS program was unexpectedly cut short due to funding constraints, WPF’s contributions provided essential groundwork, from context-specific training materials to strengthen local capacity. The WPF also freely hosts and distributes the manuals developed on our website so as to continue benefiting Lesotho’s poultry producers, as well as other farmers who would benefit from these resources.

Sesotho
English

Sesotho
English