“This study is meant to contribute to CARE Lesotho’s Livelihoods Recovery through Agriculture Programme, as it seeks to understand how Basotho livelihoods are evolving and how traditional modes of inter-household support are responding to new kinds of vulnerability. In many ways, the standard of living at Ha Tumahole has risen since 1977. Some sharing mechanisms seem to have
held their own at Ha Tumahole between
1977 and 2004. Others are in decline, or
have disappeared. Sharecropping functions at much the same levels, and plays similar roles, to those of 28 years ago. The letsema work party, on the other hand, has almost vanished – although there are still those who claim to hold them. Inter-household (usually intermen) arrangements for shared ploughing,
and other long-term friendly farming
partnerships, are as common as ever, and it
is still very unusual for a household to farm
without any links at all to other households.”
