Market gardener in southern Lesotho hand-watering her potato plants. - - Support to Soil and Water Conservation in Southern Lesotho: GCP/LES/039/NET. Although much of Lesotho's lowlands suffer from severe soil erosion problems, the situation in the southern districts (including Mohale's Hoek) appears even worse. Excessive overgrazing has damaged the natural range and pastures. Irregular climatic conditions have further exacerbated restoration of the fragile vegetative cover: as both drought, hailstorms and floods wreak damage. With a view to protecting precious soil resources, this FAO project has promoted permanent and efficient vegetative cover in the form of continuous summer/winter cropping of tubers, pulses, cereals, oilseed and fodder crops: as well as fruit orchards with vegetables. The inclusion also, of timely rotations to allow for fallowing has likewise helped to slow down soil degradation: and at the same time allow for the slow process of managing soil fertility enhancement.