January, Lesotho. His Majesty King Letsie III called for people to focus on farming and food production in his annual end of year address. With the aim of achieving food security for Lesotho, the King called for a joint effort from the nation.

Following a long drought, Lesotho had the benefit of good rains from September. While many capitalised on this, some had not and many fields were left to lie bare. This, the King said, did not bode well for Lesotho's efforts to lift itself away from hunger.

King Letsie III also acknowledged in his message that a 2006 census report showed a decline in the population of Lesotho; largely due to the loss of lives from the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The King appealed to people to use testing and treatment centres so that they can access anti-retro viral therapy at no cost, and fight the pandemic and combat the growing number of people dying of HIV/AIDS.