of its own to support its economy. Unemployment is estimated at 22 percent of the labor force (Brophy 12). Agricultural land supports about 80 percent of the resident labor force, yet only about 10 percent of Lesotho's land is suitable for arable agriculture (Africa 482). High quality wool and mohair are the country's major exports. Lesotho's government has been unsuccessful in its efforts to develop manufacturing and services industries. About 95 percent of Lesotho's estimated 1.8 million residents live in rural areas. Lesotho's hopes for greater economic self-sufficiency are pinned on the success of the Highlands Water Project, a development being jointly pursued with South Africa. Water is Lesotho's major undeveloped resource. The Highlands Water Project will pump the headwaters of the Orange River in Lesotho to the dry industrial areas of South Africa. The project will involve dams, tunnels, and canals. An added feature of the project is the installation of electric turbines that will make Lesotho self-supporting in electricity. The Highlands Water Project is expected to provide employment for thousands of Basotho and to provide half of Lesotho's future income, once it is completed over the next 25 years.
Many Lesotho residents, however, are doubtful that the Highlands Water Project is in the best interests of their country. The feeling among the common people is that the Lesotho leaders curried the favor of South African officials when the agreement for the project was signed. The people hope that their new government will be more assertive. Although the project will make Lesotho self-sufficent in terms of electricity, few houses in this underdeveloped nation have access to electricity. Also, the project is expected to displace 20,000 subsistence farmers. Another inequity is that Lesotho must come up with its own funding for its hydroelectric generating facility. The political leaders of Lesotho are pushing for...