The purpose of this policy note is to contribute to an understanding of the factors that combine to constrain the development of smallholder agriculture in Swaziland. It seeks to shed light on why, despite being well-endowed in land and water resources, and despite having a climate that is generally favorable...

The sugar industry is the backbone of Swaziland's economy, with annual revenue exceeding E1440 million (US$ 160 million). As part of the agricultural as well as the manufacturing sector, industry, it a accounts for 18% of the country’s GDP. Therefore, the economy of Swaziland is to a great extent based...

In an effort to improve the food security of rural households and to foster equitable economic growth and development, the Government of Swaziland and FAO, with funding from the European Union (EU), work together to boost agricultural productivity, while at the same time reversing environmental degradation. Smallholder agriculture is a...

This paper uses the sustainable livelihoods framework to explore the contribution of smallholder production to food security in some sub-Saharan African countries and relates it to the South African case. Noting that many of the world’s hungry are smallholder farmers, it is clear that food insecurity is closely linked to...

Food aid is a widely debated development topic and such debates have given rise to the existence of two schools of thought regarding its resultant effects. The general belief is that food aid has disincentive effects, whereas the counter belief is that food aid instead comes with contributional effects to...

This publication is intended to inform IFAD-supported project management units (PMUs), other donors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in Eastern and Southern Africa about IFAD’s Gender Strengthening Programme in the region. The programme is currently in the process of identifying challenges faced by projects, emphasizing empirical findings from field diagnostic...