Swaziland: Climate Smart Agriculture, under SWADE promotes permaculture as a way of generating income

Climate Smart Agriculture, under SWADE promotes permaculture as a way of generating income and mitigating the effects of climate change on the agricultural sector in the Lowveld of Swaziland.

Climate Smart Agriculture works with farmers in the lowveld of Swaziland to show them alternative ways for farming. They encourage farmers to move from sustenance farming to permaculture because it requires less resources compared to other farming methods. This project was created to counter the dry spells that have been experienced by the Lowveld of Swaziland in the recent years as a result of climate change. The aim of this project is to reduce poverty and food security in poor rural areas especially after the impacts of climate change hit the Lowveld of Swaziland. They promote permaculture, conservation agriculture and water harvesting which requires low capital yet sustainable to families in the long run. Apart from climate change, the project was inspired by the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on Swazi farmers especially in the Lowveld called for a less labour intensive and easier solution to the infertile soils in the region.

 The project takes four steps:

• Community mobilization which educates the public about the elements of this sustainable farming of which
• Training of people who show interest in the project.
• Assistance of farmers in implementing the farming techniques that they have just learnt
• Lastly, farmers are monitored, coached and mentored to ensure that they follow-up on their new ventures.

The projects have 1200 direct beneficiaries who are the only ones thus far. SWADE allocated $400 000 to this project. In kind contributions amounted to $400 000 thus a total budget of the project is $800 000.To monitor the gender makeup of the groups that they cater to, Climate Smart Agriculture has attendance registers that they use to monitor it. There is a trend of more men than women attending but they have established further questionnaires to establish why this is the case.

Some of the challenges they face as part of their training, apart from a limited amount of funds, is an imbalance in the genders of the participants; husbands usually refuse their wives the opportunity in training. Regardless of this, the project seeks to ensure a gender balance by involving women, mostly marginalised, in one way or another. One beneficiary of this is Agnes Mangwe of Vikizijula in the Makhundlu section who remarks, “I am a widow but this is not an issue for me because the permaculture garden means I can provide food for my family.” Through her work in the CA field, Agnes is able to generate income to cover her childrens’ school fees. With a continuous increase in the positive feedback from CSA, more men will cooperate by allowing their wives the opportunity to participate in these projects that could saves their households a minimum of US$1 a day.

The projects have brought about changes at different levels. Women are now able to make contributions in their families instead of being reliant on their husbands which has earned them a great deal of respect and a better status in their households. Many youth have nurseries which supply farmers with seedlings required at these permaculture gardens and more people have access to balanced diets in communities involved due to the projects. Many lowveld farmers who had opted out of farming are now seeking training for CSA because they have seen the benefits from their neighbours who are still producing yields despite the dry spells that they experience due to the climate change. A new land policy draft, in conjunction with the Ministry of Land Use and Ministry of Agriculture, is in the works to allow women to own land in which they can practice CSA on a larger scale.

The project has high chances of sustainability because leader farmers who will lead their communities and offer support and assistance to their peers and aspiring farmers, could be appointed. The Ministry of Agriculture could also promote CSA as a concept to farmers in the country and provide them with the required knowledge and assistance required for practice in order to ensure its longevity beyond the project’s existence.