BY PHESHEYA KUNENE - EDITOR
MANZINI – Storms smashed, heat scorched and drought drained the fields, but a E540 000 lifeline is now raising climate-smart tunnels where open farming once failed.
For two seasons, the charity’s three greenhouses stood silent after a violent storm tore through their netting at Mliba. Vegetables vanished, income dried up and the feeding programme for elderly residents leaned on uncertain supplies.
The damaged structures are located inside the Philani Maswati Charity Centre, home to more than 30 elderly beneficiaries who depend on the farm for daily meals and nutritional support.
Chairman Lutfo Dlamini said the latest E140 000 rehabilitation package restores the production backbone of the centre’s agribusiness model.
“These tunnels are our food basket. When they collapsed, our production dropped to almost zero. Now we are rebuilding for commercial output, not just survival,” he said.
He added that the earlier solar-powered irrigation system, funded in a previous KFC intervention worth close to E400 000, had already solved water access and reduced operating costs.
“Water is flowing, the pipes are in place and the dam is functional. With the tunnels back, we can produce high-value crops throughout the year and supply both the elderly and the market,” Dlamini said.
The centre targets community markets and formal retail shelves, including Pick n Pay, while also selling seedlings from its nursery to local growers.
Across Eswatini, open-field farming is increasingly exposed. Recurring hailstorms, prolonged dry spells and extreme heat are forcing farmers into climate-controlled tunnels, shade nets and precision irrigation to stabilise yields and meet market standards.
Agricultural extension data shows protected cultivation can increase yields by up to three times while cutting water use significantly compared to open-field production, making it a survival tool for smallholders facing erratic weather.
KFC marketing manager Belinda Forbes said the partnership is built on measurable community impact and long-term sustainability.
“The greenhouses are not just infrastructure, they are a nutrition pipeline for vulnerable residents and a revenue stream that keeps the centre operational,” she said.
Forbes noted that Philani had demonstrated strong governance and accountability since the first investment.
“We have seen clear progress from the irrigation project. Production improved, food security stabilised and the organisation maintained proper reporting. That gave us confidence to reinvest,” she said.
She added that climate volatility is now a key factor in corporate social investment decisions.
“Supporting climate-resilient agriculture ensures communities can produce food consistently despite storms and heatwaves. It is about resilience, dignity and sustainable livelihoods,” she said.
On the ground, the model is integrated, solar-powered water pumping, a backup dam, a nursery enterprise and protected tunnels producing specialised vegetables that cannot survive in open fields.
Dlamini said the goal is to move beyond subsistence into structured supply.
“We want contracts, bulk buyers and steady income. The elderly must eat first, but the farm must also pay for itself,” he said.
The numbers tell the story. More than 30 residents fed daily, seedlings supplied to local farmers, vegetables sold to vendors and formal markets targeted, all anchored by climate-smart infrastructure.
At Philani, the rebuilt tunnels are more than steel and netting. They are a shield against the weather, a business engine and a guarantee that plates remain full even when the skies turn hostile.
