Stantec selected as lead consultant on Lesotho Irrigated Horticulture Project

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has selected Stantec to provide advisory services for the design and implementation of its Irrigated Horticulture Project for the Kingdom of Lesotho. The five-year project seeks to transition farmers who are dependent on rain-fed agriculture to high-value agriculture that will better support jobs and economic growth in the country.

Lesotho is regularly impacted by drought, adversely impacting the 86 percent of the population that relies on precipitation for farming. With less than 1 percent of available land irrigated and more than 50 percent of the population below the poverty line, the Irrigated Horticulture Project plans to improve sustainable food production and raise the quality of life for many communities.

Stantec will provide independent engineering services to the MCC in support of its Lesotho Compact development, serving as an advisor for overall implementation and oversight. In this role, the firm will assist with several key elements of the project, including integrated water resources management, water resource development for commercial horticulture production, value chain development, environmental, social, health and safety standards, gender and social inclusion, and resettlement. The implementation of MCC’s proposed investment depends on these multiple interrelated technical, social, and economic factors.

Ultimately, the success of the proposed investment will depend on subsistence farmers, including women and youth, transitioning to irrigation and high-value crops with links and access to finance and markets. As such, a key aspect of Stantec’s support includes providing strategic advice integrated across disciplines, which seeks to ensure project and program design considers the multiple and often competing factors.

Stantec has a long history of successful project delivery in Lesotho. From 1996 to 2003, Stantec provided the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority with engineering and construction management services for the detailed design and construction of the 145-meter-high and 640-meter-long Mohale Dam Multipurpose Project. In 2006, Stantec was contracted by the MCC to conduct a due diligence study to assess the technical, financial, and institutional aspects of the organization’s proposed investments in bulk water supply; water distribution system rehabilitation, improvement, and extension; and rural water supply and sanitation. Subsequently, under MCCs first Lesotho Compact, Stantec was contracted for independent engineering, environmental oversight, and implementation support services for water and health projects.

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Ben Carter
Stantec Media Relations
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ben.carter@stantec.com