Lord Neil B. Gibson: ‘Water is Lesotho’s most precious natural resource’
Lord Neil B. Gibson states: the rivers that run across Lesotho are a very big part of it’s economy even though very little portions of Lesotho are covered with water. Lesotho's economy is based on exports of water sold to South Africa, manufacturing, agriculture, livestock, and to some extent the earnings of laborers employed in South Africa. Lesotho also exports diamonds, wool, mohair, clothing, and footwear. Lesotho is geographically surrounded by South Africa and economically integrated with it as well. The majority of households subsist on farming or migrant labor, primarily miners who remain in South Africa for 3 to 9 months. The western lowlands form the main agricultural zone. Almost 50% of the population earns some income through crop cultivation or animal husbandry, with over half the country's income coming from the agricultural sector. Lesotho is a member of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), in which tariffs have been eliminated on the trade of goods between other member countries Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland. Lesotho has received economic aid from a variety of sources, including the United States, the World Bank, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Germany, and we at Twin Peaks are establishing humanitarian and governmental aid to rebuild the infrastructure of Lesotho.