Leribe — In an effort to strengthen nutrition at community level, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Security, through the Department of Nutrition, on Thursday started Nutrition Club competitions at Khabo Resource Centre in Leribe.

The competitions will be held at all eight resource centres in the district in the coming days.

The initiative supports the efforts of African Union Nutrition Champion, His Majesty King Letsie III, who continues to promote community nutrition clubs as a way of improving food security, reducing stunting and encouraging local agricultural production across Lesotho and Africa.

Speaking to the Agency on Thursday, District Nutrition Officer Ms. Keketso Seleteng said the competitions are intended to motivate nutrition club members to produce more nutritious food for the benefit of their families and communities.

She said members are showcasing their products, with winners from each resource centre advancing to district-level competitions.

Ms. Seleteng added that district winners will proceed to compete at national level.

She said the competitions will continue at Tale Resource Centre on Wednesday next week, followed by Pelaneng Resource Centre on Thursday.

Nutrition clubs in Lesotho are community-based groups supported by the government and development partners, including UNICEF Lesotho and World Vision International, to help reduce malnutrition.

The clubs promote household food security through vegetable gardening, greenhouse production, poultry farming and small fishponds. They also train members in food preservation methods such as drying, bottling, canning and fermenting surplus produce to ensure year-round access to nutritious food.

In addition, the clubs support vulnerable children and nursing mothers through monthly meal programmes, promote proper kitchen hygiene and encourage income-generating activities such as making handicrafts, mats and soap to strengthen household resilience against climate-related challenges.