The United Nations (U.N.) has launched an appeal for about 19 million US dollars for the small Southern African kingdom of Lesotho where it's estimated that more than 550,000 people, or about quarter of the population, could face severe hunger. The food crunch was triggered by the country's worst drought in at least 30 years, which the UN said had cut the staple maize crop harvest by more than 40 per cent. The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that about 30 per cent of the country's bore holes, wells and water reservoirs have already dried up. "The soil on these fields has been hardened by lack of rain since last year, so we are having serious problems because of that," said Rre Ramatela, a farmer. The WFP also warns that about half of Lesotho's people live on less than one US dollar each day, which makes them especially vulnerable to climate change. "The food situation in this region is worse due to severe drought" says Mamasa Peete, a WFP representative. Close to 328,000 tonnes...