Youth farmers push ahead despite climate hurdles

Manzini, Eswatini — April 10, 2025

Two youth-led agricultural ventures in Nhlambeni, Manzini Region, are making steady progress in boosting local food production and creating jobs, thanks to ongoing support from the United Nations and national partners.

On Thursday, officials from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) visited the Likusasa Foundation Youth Group and Njelu Youth Group to assess the impact of their joint initiatives. Both projects are part of a broader collaboration aimed at helping young people enter and thrive in the agricultural sector.

At Likusasa, a year of hard work has turned a green pepper pilot into a growing enterprise now expanding into butternut production. Despite facing hailstorms and intense heat, the group has stayed on course. They’ve been equipped with a 2,000 square metre shade net through FAO’s One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) and the UNDP-supported Eswatini Youth Empowerment Programme (EYEP), funded by the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development. The infrastructure is helping them protect crops and strengthen access to local markets, including supermarkets and the National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBoard).

Not far from Likusasa, the Njelu Youth Group is preparing to enter the baby vegetable market. With land secured from the local chiefdom and fencing provided by WFP, the group is also expecting the installation of a solar-powered irrigation system. They too will receive a shade net under the UNDP/FAO partnership. Looking ahead, the group plans to venture into value addition by processing tomatoes into tomato sauce, hoping to bypass middlemen and deal directly with retailers and wholesalers.

The two youth cooperatives are among 12 across the country — involving 127 young people — currently working under the FAO-UNDP initiative to grow both conventional and baby vegetables and meet Eswatini’s local demand.

“This joint UN work focuses on youth empowerment by supporting these groups to adapt to climate change, increase production, sustain market supply and enhance their livelihoods,” said UNDP Resident Representative Henrik Franklin during the visit.

Njelu’s Chairperson, Bhekisisa Dlamini, said their goal is to streamline supply chains by producing, packaging, and marketing their products locally. Jabulile Vilakati, a councillor from the Njelu Chiefdom, welcomed the UN’s backing, saying the initiative is helping the area’s young people find meaningful employment in a country where job opportunities remain limited.

Beyond local market access, UNDP and the Eswatini Standards Authority are developing a national certification system, Ingelo, to give young agripreneurs a competitive edge and support their long-term sustainability.