BY: PHESHEYA KUNENE | EDITOR
SIDVOKODVO — Eswatini has launched a new E2.4 million climate-smart agriculture training programme that will equip 200 young people with protected tunnel farming skills, as the country intensifies efforts to strengthen food security, build resilience to climate change and reduce youth unemployment.
The three-month Innovative Climate-Smart Youth Tunnel Production Training Programme, officially launched at Riders Ranch in Sidvokodvo, is fully funded by the Republic of China (Taiwan). The funding covers tuition, accommodation, meals and transport, allowing participants from across the country to receive specialised agricultural training at no cost.
Implemented by the Woman Farmer Foundation (WFF) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Education and Training, the programme focuses on protected tunnel production, an increasingly important technology that enables farmers to produce crops throughout the year while reducing the risks associated with droughts, erratic rainfall and rising temperatures.
The initiative forms part of Eswatini’s broader strategy to modernise agriculture by expanding the adoption of climate-smart technologies capable of improving productivity while reducing vulnerability to increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
Officiating the launch, Acting Minister of Agriculture Hon. Bongani Nzima said agriculture is increasingly attracting young people who now view the sector as a commercial business capable of creating wealth and employment.
He commended the Woman Farmer Foundation for building a programme that has continued to grow despite numerous challenges.
“It is through your unwavering perseverance and visionary leadership that this training project has not only survived but thrived through incredibly difficult times,” he said.
Nzima encouraged the new intake to regard the training as more than a classroom exercise, describing it as an opportunity to build sustainable agribusinesses that can contribute to national economic growth while creating employment opportunities for others.
The programme has expanded rapidly since its inception. According to Woman Farmer Foundation Founder and Director Sonia Paiva, it began with just 20 trainees in 2021 and has since trained more than 500 young agripreneurs.
She said continued support from Taiwan has enabled the sponsorship of about 440 young people since 2024, significantly expanding access to practical agricultural skills that many aspiring farmers would otherwise struggle to afford.
Paiva also announced that the Ministry of Education and Training has accredited the Woman Farmer Foundation Training Centre under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system, formally recognising it as a national centre for climate-smart agriculture training.
She said protected tunnel farming offers young farmers a competitive advantage by enabling year-round production while reducing the impact of increasingly erratic climatic conditions.
Representing the Taiwan Embassy, Dr. Sofia Jeng said the latest funding marks the third consecutive phase of Taiwan’s support for the programme.
She said the partnership seeks to strengthen Eswatini’s agricultural sector through the transfer of modern production technologies, including protected cultivation systems and efficient irrigation techniques that improve productivity while using water more efficiently.
Dr. Jeng said investing in agricultural knowledge and technology remains one of the most sustainable ways of strengthening food security while creating economic opportunities for young people.
Agriculture Principal Secretary Sydney Simelane challenged participants to approach farming as a business, stressing that successful commercial agriculture requires sound financial management, production planning and market orientation.
He said Eswatini’s long-standing agricultural partnership with Taiwan has already produced measurable results across several value chains, pointing to the country’s achievement of self-sufficiency in pork production as evidence of what sustained investment in technology, skills development and international cooperation can deliver.
Protected agriculture is becoming increasingly important across Southern Africa as climate change continues to place pressure on conventional open-field farming. Tunnel production enables farmers to regulate growing conditions, improve water-use efficiency, reduce pest pressure and extend production seasons, making it particularly suitable for high-value horticultural crops.
Graduates from previous intakes have gone on to establish commercial vegetable enterprises and diversified farming businesses in different parts of the country, demonstrating how specialised technical training can translate into viable agribusiness opportunities.
As climate risks intensify and demand for reliable food production grows, Eswatini’s continued investment in protected agriculture signals a strategic shift towards equipping a new generation of farmers with the technologies and skills needed to produce more efficiently, compete commercially and strengthen the country’s long-term food security.
