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The vast majority of Swaziland’s 1.2 million people rely on subsistence farming for their livelihoods, but this has been severely hampered by the economic downturn and recent droughts caused by climate change. According to FAO’s most recent hunger data, one-third of Swaziland’s population is undernourished. In response, the Swaziland Agriculture Development Project (SADP) was launched in 2009 with assistance from the European Union and FAO. The five-year programme aims to improve food security and nutrition for vulnerable groups and help transform agriculture into a vibrant business sector. More than 20,000 smallholder farmers have learned to produce more high-quality food and reach new markets. In addition, the construction and rehabilitation of livestock, water infrastructure and government services are also priorities for SADP. Under the programme, 800 backyard gardens have been established for vulnerable families and 60 youth groups have been formed, reaching 2,250 young people.
Agricultural activity in Swaziland has been declining over the past two decades. This is largely due to a series of droughts that the country has recently suffered, which are linked to climate change. More than 70 percent of the country’s total population (just over 1 million people) rely on subsistence farming, and in current conditions many survive on just one dollar a day. According to the latest hunger data from FAO, one in three people in Swaziland is malnourished.
In response, Swaziland launched the Swaziland Agriculture Development Project (SADP) in 2009 with the help of FAO and the European Union. The government-led programme aims to improve food security and nutrition among vulnerable rural households and revitalise agriculture, transforming it into a vibrant business sector. Five years into the programme, agriculture has emerged as a major driver of development in Swaziland.
Start with the young
In its initial phase, SADP focused on the most vulnerable groups, including the young and the elderly. More than 800 backyard gardens were established for poor rural families, allowing them to grow vegetables for their own consumption or to sell within the community. In addition, 60 youth groups were established. These youth groups (covering 2,250 young people) received funding to set up small businesses in poultry farming, pig farming, and vegetable and crop production. In June 2012, one of the groups launched a poultry project after receiving training on raising chickens and identifying diseases. In their first year of business, they sold 1,200 chickens and shared the profits. The program also established the Swaziland Livestock Identification and Traceability System (SLITS) to ensure that every animal in Swaziland can be tracked throughout its life.
It’s all about smallholder farmers
Gradually, SADDP also began educating smallholder farmers on good agricultural practices, enabling them to grow more and better produce. More than 20,000 farmers have received support in conservation agriculture, agroforestry and seed multiplication, practices that protect the environment and reduce pressure on limited natural resources.
One of the main challenges they face is water scarcity. To address this, SADP oversaw the construction of an earth dam, two water dams and a borehole, and rehabilitated two other earth dams, and developed five irrigation projects. One of the dams, located in Mayandzeni village, had long lacked maintenance, which had diminished its irrigation potential. Since its repair, 63 farmers have come together to manage the dam’s water and irrigate their fields.
““With a constant supply of water, farmers are no longer dependent on rainfall to grow their crops,” said Mahosini Khosa, who leads water infrastructure projects on behalf of the government. “This is crucial if you want to go commercial.”
Towards commercialization
One of the main goals of the program is to help smallholders move from subsistence to commercial farming. To achieve this, Swaziland has set up a €1 million marketing investment fund to strengthen links between farmers and markets. One of the beneficiaries of the fund is Eswatini Kitchen, a small food processing factory located on the outskirts of Mazzini, Swaziland’s commercial capital. Eswatini Kitchen produces jams, sauces and chutneys, mostly made from fruits and vegetables from smallholder farmers, and sells them around the world through the Fairtrade network. The factory is an important source of income for smallholder farmers, who often have difficulty getting their produce to market and are unable to compete with prices in neighboring South Africa.
One such farmer is Sifo Matisa, a retired government servant who feeds a family of 18. The peppers he grows are used to make a notorious hot sauce called “Swazi Fire”. He prefers to sell to Eswatini Kitchen because they buy his entire harvest at once. He is delighted to know that his peppers are processed and sold all over the world. “It gives me a responsibility to produce the best quality peppers,” he says.
go ahead
“Swaziland can do it,” said Nehru Essomba of the FAO, chief technical adviser for development planning in South Africa. “They have export potential. Like livestock. Or niche crops. All it needs now is some thinking.”
Now, the plan is in its final stages and future planning is being drafted. A 10-year agricultural investment plan is being prepared. The plan, drafted by the government and regional partners, aims to achieve an average annual growth rate of 6% in agriculture by 2015. The plan is in line with Africa’s most important agricultural development initiative, the African Agricultural Development Initiative. African Agricultural Development ProgramGovernments that sign up to the African-led initiative have agreed to increase public spending on agriculture by at least 10 percent. In Swaziland, that could make agriculture a driver of the country’s economic development.
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