Rural Households’ Perceptions of Rosehip and the Role It Plays in Rural Livelihoods in Lesotho

Abstract Despite the amount of research on the perceived negative impacts of invasive alien species, they remain integral to the rural communities due to their numerous livelihoods uses. More research is required, focusing on the impacts of invasive alien species on the livelihoods of rural communities. This paper investigates the community perceptions of rosehip (Rosa rubiginosa) in Lesotho and its contribution to rural communities. A sample of 160 participants was chosen using simple random sampling. Descriptive, Principal component analysis and the probit model were used to analyse the results. The study found that rosehip's livelihood benefits, and its abundance highly influence the social, economic and environmental perception of rural communities. However, the income from rosehip was found to be the lowest income component. Despite the income from rosehip being low, it acts as a safety net in the face of shocks such as limited job opportunities and food shortages to the poorer households who have few income sources.