MBABANE (15 April 2025): A major initiative to attain the national grain food self-sufficiency is now in progress. The Eswatini Water and Agriculture Development Enterprise has launched a maize and bean project that will deliver a minimum of 60,000 metric tonnes from next harvest.
The project that will engage at least 20,000 smallholder farmers in growing two crops of maize and beans per year, is an 8-year project funded by the United Nations Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) to the tune of $45 million (about E855 million).
IFAD country director Francesco Rispoli says they are partnering with the Eswatini Government in the Smallholder Agriculture Productivity Enhancement Project (SAPEMP) to address low production and productivity of communal land farmers. Smallholder farmers rely almost exclusively on summer rains to grow the national maize staple, maize, are often exposed to climate change vulnerabilities, poor coordination, limited business orientation and market linkages.
The project that will also support farmers grow the range of common vegetables that are needed to nourish the nation, aims to reduce poverty especially in the rural areas where at least 70% of the population lives. The Eswatini Incomes and Expenditure survey shows that at least 76% of the poor live in the rural areas, compared to 50% of the urban population.
The project focus especially on poverty reduction and youth involvement strongly resonates with the Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg who showed strong support for the minister of agriculture Mandla Tsawuka and expressed Government’s full commitment for the initiative.
I am a farmer at heart, you guys are extremely blessed in a season where you also have a minister who is not about glory or shine or anything else as you often find in politics. He’s a grinder. You’ll look back at the results of this minister during his term…. I’m holding my breath and very excited at what this minister is going to be doing,” said Rijkenberg.
We know that agriculture is the solution for unemployment and for poverty in Eswatini. So what you are doing is in the centre of what we need to do to transform our country. At the same time what we are getting wrong is the basic economics of it. Farmers are not making money. The land is sitting idle, not because people can’t farm or are not smart enough or anything else, but we are not making it worth for someone to wake up everyday and put a whole day’s sweat equity into the equation to make sure that he makes money at the end of the day,” the finance minister says.
Under SAPEMP which was launched at the end of March 2025, smallholder farmers who typically have about 3 hectares of land, will be grouped into clusters with strong linkage to the private sector in a win-win business relationship. Two value chains of vegetables and legumes will be the key starting points.
Project also highlights strong focus on youth and climate change to produce impact on maize, beans and vegetable those areas that we consider critical.
“The (8-year) time horizon may appear broad but we know that when we invest in in agriculture results are produced in the long term, so the duration of the project is 8 years starting in 2025 to 2033,” Rispoli said.
The executing agency is the Ministry of Agriculture that will provide overall guidance and direction to the project and the lead the implementing agency is EWADE. Said Rispoli: “EWADE has a strong track record in the implementation of successful projects. We want to mention the recently concluded Smallholder Market led Project that was an IFAD supported project that managed to reach out to 90,000 beneficiaries. IFAD also conducted an independent impact assessment and found the project has produced tangible impact on income of smallholders engaged and also on agriculture production.”
“The overall envelope is about $45million financed by an IFAD loan of $14 million and will attract resources from the Green Climate Fund; and attached to this project is a climate Fund proposal that is going through the approval processes that will also allow for the mobilization of grant resources for enhancing project activities for the support of farmers in building resilience in agriculture. Results of the adaptation fund proposal developed together with FAO will also allow additional resources to the project. This is to say that this project is also perceived as modality for assembling finances from different sources to allow for larger and more tangible impacts,” said Rispoli who committed to support the project all the way, but specifically during the set-up phase.
The SAPEMP project is part of a broader vision of agriculture minister Mandla Tsawuka who aims to secure what he has termed food sovereignty.
“We want to attain food abundance and create wealth. In attaining food abundance we talk about food sovereignty. This is not to say that we are going to produce all the food in the country as that is impossible. What it means is that the basic food that we would like to put on the plate of liSwati, especially of a gogo and a child out there should be produced in the country. Other things we can import especially for the folks around town who have fancy tastes,” said Minister Tsawuka.
The project dovetails with the Ministry of Agriculture’s 5 year strategic plan 2022-2027 that seeks to deliver on three priorities: service delivery; food sovereignty and employment creation or wealth creation.
The minister says SAPEMP speaks directly to all 3 priorities as it impacts on food security, employment and service delivery that strengthens institutions to be of service to emaSwati.
“What I would also like to appreciate with this funding is that it will focus on strengthening our resilience in terms of construction of small dams to fortify crops against drought. We also focus on farming with communities and again we trust that EWADE will do what they normally do in putting together communities such that they are able to farm effectively.
We like this project because it aligns with the global sustainable development goals. As a country and as a government all our policies and initiatives are aligned with specific programmes of the SDGs.
The project specifically addresses SDG 1 – no poverty. Through farming activities and market linkages, financed by this initiative we will seriously reduce youth unemployment and improve household incomes thereby reducing general poverty in the country.
It also impacts on SDG2 – Zero Hunger. Improved productivity means plenty and affordable food on our tables, ultimately eradicating hunger in eSwatini.
SDG 5 Gender equality; the strong focus on women who happen to be the majority in the population who often bear the brunt of making sure that household nutrition is adequate in their home will help bring equity between the genders.
“Decent work and economic growth and youth unemployment are serious problems in this country. Our youth will enter at their preferred points in the value chain. This will make agriculture more attractive to them and ultimately more production, more downstream industries and better markets will accelerate economic growth,” the minister said.
The SAPEMP project is expected to make a major impact in meeting a national priority for food self-sufficiency identified by His Majesty the King in the Speech from the Throne at the opening of Parliament in February. Eswatini needs 145,000 metric tonnes of maize annually. Part of this is imported, at huge cost in foreign currency.
Jm/today/15.04.2025
