MOHALESHOEK- The Smallholder Agriculture Development Project 2 (SADP II) recently convened a two-day workshop in Mohaleshoek, bringing together farmers and stakeholders to assess progress and identify areas for improvement in the implementation of agricultural projects.
The workshop aimed to gather insights from farmers and representatives of various banks on the challenges encountered during project implementation, including procurement processes and material acquisition. According to the matching grants specialist Relebohile Khatibe, the objective of the workshop was to track progress from the farmers’ perspective, as well as that of the banks they work with, in order to identify lessons learned and areas for improvement.
Representatives from different categories of beneficiaries, including round 1, 2, and 3, as well as youth participants, attended the workshop. The categories are divided regionally, with round 1 focusing on the mountain districts of Mokhotlong, Qacha’s Nek, and Thaba Tseka, while rounds 2 and 3 cover all 10 districts, and the youth round targeting young farmers.
In his welcome remarks, the DAO representative emphasized the importance of reflection and learning from past experiences. He noted that previous projects had suffered from a lack of ownership, resulting in only about 5% of projects remaining operational. To address this, SADP II has introduced a matching grants system, which provides funding in monetary form to promote project ownership among beneficiaries. The representative expressed optimism that this approach would yield better results, citing positive progress to date.
The workshop provided a platform for stakeholders to share experiences and best practices, with the goal of accelerating project implementation and improving overall impact. By the end of the workshop, participants were expected to have gained a better understanding of their role in driving progress and addressing challenges in smallholder agriculture development.
