BY: SIBUSISO MNGADI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MANZINI — Eswatini’s drive to turn traditional African vegetables into stronger commercial crops is gathering pace, with the Taiwan-Africa Vegetable Initiative (TAVI) moving into its second phase and stakeholders set to meet next week to align the 2026 rollout.
The World Vegetable Center has invited stakeholders to an inception workshop on Wednesday, 18 March 2026, at the George Hotel in Manzini, where partners are expected to formally launch the 2026 implementation year of TAVI Phase II and agree on priorities, timelines and performance targets for the year ahead.
The workshop comes as the project shifts from groundwork to deeper implementation. According to the invitation, TAVI Phase II in 2026 will place particular emphasis on the commercialisation of traditional African vegetables (TAVs) and on strengthening the operations of the Eswatini National Genebank, while continuing to support improved nutrition, resilient livelihoods and climate-smart agricultural development.
That is a significant next step for a programme that has already built a base in the country. The concept note states that Phase I, which ran from 2021 to 2024, successfully established partnerships among governments, research institutions and civil society organisations to improve nutrition, livelihoods and climate resilience. In other words, the first phase helped build the institutional platform. Phase II is now expected to scale up action and push for stronger impact on the ground.
For farmers, seed actors and agri-food players, the next phase could be especially important. TAVI says its broader goal is to improve food and nutrition security, strengthen climate resilience and enhance livelihoods through the conservation, production, commercialisation and consumption of traditional African vegetables, while reinforcing Taiwan-Africa cooperation.
The 2026 focus areas show a programme that is trying to link indigenous crops not only to nutrition, but also to enterprise and markets. Among the key areas listed for discussion are commercial production and marketing of traditional African vegetables, strengthening seed systems, genebank operations, Quality Declared Seed development, school gardens, school feeding, nutrition education, market promotion, and regional and international cooperation through training workshops and forums.
That broad scope suggests TAVI is not treating traditional vegetables as a niche or subsistence issue. Instead, the programme is positioning them as part of a wider strategy touching seed security, biodiversity conservation, nutrition, farmer incomes and market development.
The workshop is expected to bring together government partners, development and NGO partners, research and academic institutions, private sector and market actors, as well as representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Eswatini and the Taiwan Technical Mission.
Organisers say the meeting will also review the detailed monthly work plan for 2026 and allow partners to propose quarterly key performance indicators to guide implementation and monitoring. That means the meeting is expected to do more than launch the programme symbolically — it is also meant to lock stakeholders into delivery, accountability and coordination.
Expected outputs include a shared understanding of TAVI’s 2026 objectives and strategies, an agreed implementation and coordination framework, clearer partner roles and reporting arrangements, and stronger commitment among partners.
For Eswatini, where interest in climate-smart agriculture, dietary diversity and resilient farming systems continues to grow, the renewed push behind traditional African vegetables may open fresh opportunities for smallholder producers. If Phase I built the partnerships, Phase II appears designed to turn that foundation into more structured production, better seed systems and stronger commercial value chains.
