How a Young Farmer Started Supplying Large Supermarkets

Julius Maboloka is a 36-year-old farmer from Lesotho who is now supplying vegetables to large supermarket chains across Lesotho and neighboring South Africa. Julius, who inherited a passion for farming from his parents, started out farming in the open field and used to face challenges due to unreliable weather conditions and scarce water resources. He was eventually able to expand and sustain his business thanks to a grant from the Smallholder Agriculture Development Project (SADP). Through the SADP, which is supported by the World Bank, 55,000 farmers across four districts in Lesotho applied for and won public grants which have helped them increase their competitiveness and have better access to markets.