Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

4. INVESTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF FARMERS:  School Curriculum and Career guidance; As long as there is not targeted career guidance for pupils taking agriculture subjects in schools, the prospects of generating future farmers in bleak. The group agreed that the school’s career guidance is not relevant to the needs of the agribusiness Industry. For Pupils studying agriculture in schools, their agriculture career path is no properly guided and nursed in the school setting. Solution: - There is a need to create an organization to advocate and advance the aspiration of agriculture studen... Read morets and guide their career paths. A youth wing under ESNAU can be created, to in the first place target schools.  Lack of access to Finance: the group said that banks generally viewed youth as a risk. In this regard, the group proposed for the review of Banking policies towards youth Agripreneurs. Secondly to stop considering age as a criterion for approving loans but the viability of the proposal as the main criteria for assessing and approving loan applications. The group intimated that Banks always lump all aspects of Agriculture as being tenable in Rural settings. The group proposed that Financial Institutions must understand that it is not the whole agriculture value chain that is implemented in the rural areas, some aspects such as packaging and transport logistics can be carried out in urban centers.  Self-Contained Agribusiness Enterprises. The group proposed that Government must provide and invest in about 100 to 200 ha farms for the youth to establish a whole value chain agribusiness enterprise that encompasses the whole agriculture value chain in this farm. This strategy must include primary producers of crops and livestock; processors, value addition enterprises, packaging, and distributions all in this farm. The farm must employ the latest production, processing, and packaging Technologies to be relevant to the youth. Youth selection and participation must be from all four Agro-ecological regions. ESNAU must advocate that this initiative becomes a policy or enshrined in the country’s policies.  Youth representation in Parliament: The Group proposed that the purposeful appointment of youth representatives is important if youth-friendly policies can be guaranteed in parliament. They even suggested a similar strategy as used for the selection of the four Women Regional Parliamentarians.  Establishment of Youth Agribusiness Dialogues on Social Media; The group felt that this Social group will be mannered and run by a youth already in Agribusiness to encourage other youth to join Agriculture. They can display their enterprises on this platform as proof that indeed agriculture is relevant for the youth also. ESNAU was also proposed to house this initiative. Read less

3. ADOPTION AND SCALING UP INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY  Irrigation: Primary producers recognized that Irrigation was critical for maintaining a steady flow of produce into the food system and that if the majority of primary producers could have adequate access to irrigation infrastructure and technology, a shift from subsistence production to commercial production can be assured and enhanced  Postharvest Handling: Regarding post-harvest handling, the meeting felt that research in this field must be conducted to identify issues, from harvesting, Transportation to Storage, providing recommen... Read moredations on new and improved methods of harvesting, and promote technologies, methods, and approaches that respond to postharvest needs of maize, and horticulture producers:  Calculating Production Costs; the group realized that the majority of farmers are not able to establish the production cost for a crop prior to production. They felt that it was important to Innovate to reduce production costs, they recommended that the Ministry of Agriculture, farmer organizations, and NGOs must intensify capacity building for primary producers to be able to calculate costs of production.  Climate Change: The group was unanimous in the realization that Climate change is having a considerable impact on the availability of water resources for agricultural production. The increased crop water demand cannot be achieved as long as there is global warming. The group recommended that Climate research must be conducted to establish what strategies must be adopted to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The group further recommends that government and insurance companies must work towards establishing weather-based insurance products and policies for farmers. Government tractor hire services must have readily available tractor drawn implements that are Climate Smart and promote conservation agriculture.  Capacity Building and Development. Dialogue partners realized that capacity training and building in various skills in agriculture production was necessary for the availability of well-skilled primary producers to be effective producers. The dialogue felt that the government need to develop a training Curriculum for farmers, instead of conducting random training programs. All practitioners or institutions that train farmers must be accredited and follow the curriculum to avoid giving different and incorrect information to farmers.  Land Tenure: The dialogues felt that the land tenure system does not promote agriculture business since control of land is in the control of traditional authority and production land cannot be used as collateral for an agriculture business loan. This does not auger well for Business or commercial agriculture. The group also highlighted that various actors in primary production do not have access to land; including Women and youth and there is no room for expansion because the available piece of land cannot be extended nor is there a policy that influences this to occur, save for only when a good neighbor does a favor for the farmer. Government must speed up the finalization of the SNL Commercialization Bill or approve the draft Land Policy. Traditional leaders must protect youth and women from losing family land once parents pass away. Read less

2. PRODUCTION FACTORS - AVAILABILITY AND ACCESS:  Soil: Including ph and soil Conditioning. The group noted that Soil is the foundation of food systems and that there is an urgent need to rebuild soil health. This can help maintain harvests, especially for the staple maize and for horticulture and livestock commodities over the long run, and lay a solid foundation for a more resilient food system. Investing in soil health will also benefit the environment. A strategy for periodical application of lime to soils that are frequently irrigated for horticulture crops and in the Highveld of Eswat... Read moreini which receives above normal Rainfall can guarantee soil productivity over time. That Liming should not be a strategy but be a policy for all regions where it is appropriate. Water for Irrigation: The group felt that intensification and increasing water harvesting and storage facilities in all regions to cater for the irrigation needs of Primary Producers is vital for increased and sustained productivity. They recommended that small reservoirs suited for that group of primary producers can be appropriate instead of constructing large projects that will demand huge resources. Users should properly maintain the irrigation infrastructure that has been put in place.  Farming Inputs. The group picked GMO Seeds and organic fertilizer as inputs needing attention an introduction for use in Eswatini. The participants felt that introduction of GMO seeds can boost productivity per unit area and local food supply. The group wondered why Eswatini does not recommend their use as neighboring countries are using GMO’s. The group proposed that the country can benefit immensely from the use of Organic fertilizer since organically produced crops fetch a premium price in the market. The group was aware that organic farming is also good for the environment. They also proposed intense capacity building for farmers intending to engage in organic production.  Finance: Access to finance is very difficult for primary producers and yet it is a critical production factor. The majority of smallholder farmers are struggling to access finance. The difficulty to access finance is the leading challenge for youth farmers, especially because they have not accumulated assets that they can use as collateral or security. Government should assist by establishing Agriculture Development Fund which will also provide collateral for farmers. Financiers should establish more affordable financial products targeted to smallholder farmers. The group recognized that the input subsidy program is a good initiative but felt that its impact was limited because it only assists 1 hectare per farmer and only 3 commodities. The group also endorsed the proposal for a farmer’s bank, which they hoped will understand the farming cycles and related issues, contrary to Commercial banks.  Mechanization and Farm Machinery. The group was unanimous in their realization that as long as mechanization and tractor hire services are operated by state-owned entities, their contribution to the food system will remain ineffective. They recommended that farmers be the ones who run the tractor hire service because they know the issues and can address them better. They proposed that for every 100 farmers should form a group and under the auspices of ESNAU and buy a tractor. In this arrangement, ESNAU and other stakeholders must assist to secure collateral for these groups. This will guarantee timely availability of mechanization services for all categories of primary producers  Land Inventory: The group realized that arable land is diminishing in Eswatini and yet in every discussion, primary producers are always told that land is available. In this regard, they recommended that a study be conducted to establish and consolidate a land inventory to assess the actual status of available arable land. The data obtained from this exercise must be used to further conduct a land classification and suitability exercise. The results will inform planners whether the country still has land that will contribute meaningfully to the food systems. Arable land must be protected by a policy. Read less

1. AGRICULTURE VALUE CHAINS: - Sale of Produce Agreements: Retailers have a tendency of canceling agreements made with producers without notice, leaving producers stranded with their produce. As a matter of Policy, all retailers must put in place a produce sales Agreement to guarantee the final uptake of farmers' produce. - Production Contract: It should now be a law or a policy developed to require retailers to develop production contracts with Primary produces on the commodities to be produced and quantities, since they had observed that retailers are refusing to sign production contracts wi... Read moreth them and there is nothing compelling them to do so. This presents a serious risk to produce loss post-production, especially perishable commodities. - Bargaining power: Producers have less bargaining power in the Market since they are price takers.; and the period for payment of goods is decided by retailers. Producers themselves should build and/or strengthen commodity-specific networks to address marketing; Advocate for fair pricing of produce at all markets and in place, and End-to-end traceability system for farm produce entering the market chain. In order to address the issue of unfair pricing, farmers should be represented in State-Owned Marketing Boards and decision-making platforms that affect pricing. - Agriculture Insurance: There is a need to establish a system of risk and insurance sharing to mitigate the consequences of adverse outcomes and to allow traders to pursue higher returns. Insurance companies should provide comprehensive and affordable insurance packages to farmers. - Land tenure: due to the land tenure system, farmers cannot use the land as collateral in banks since they do not own it but it is owned by traditional authorities. Government must speed up the finalization of the SNL Commercialization Bill or revisit and finalize the Draft Land Policy. Youth must be supported to access production land. Arable land is fast diminishing, therefore must be protected by policy and preserved only for agriculture. Unproductive arable land that belongs to the government must be put to active use, special attention given to local smallholder farmers to use this land. - Mechanization and equipment: the majority of smallholder farmers do not own adequate equipment and tractors, therefore rely on tractor services that are offered by the government. However, this service is very inefficient. Government must improve the delivery of this service, and should consider handing it over to the private sector, preferably to competent farmers' organizations. - Farming support enterprises: Farmer groups should take business opportunities of the nonfarming enterprises that bring solutions to farmers such as farming input trading, produce transport services, warehousing, abattoirs, and cold storages. Through These enterprises, farmer groups have the opportunity of reducing farmers' production costs and increasing dividends for shareholding farmers. - Innovation and Technology: - Adoption and access to technology; agriculture today is becoming more sophisticated and technology is bringing a lot of change and necessary solutions. However, local smallholder farmers are not adequately taping into these opportunities. Government and stakeholders should promote adoption. Proper policies must be put in place to regulate technology and data.  Investment: - Agriculture is the backbone of the country's economy, therefore, the government must prioritize investing in the sector. The Malabo Declaration to commit 10% in agriculture must be practiced by the government. There is a need for more irrigation infrastructure, road networks, internet connectivity, aggregation centers, and cold chain support infrastructure. Read less

1). Bargaining Power targeted to Markets: the dialogues resolved that Due to the marketing challenges that farmers are facing, they must establish strong group/s that shall have bargaining power in the market. In this regard, they will be able to obtain the most favorable prices, representation in marketing boards, lobby governments to enact policies that will allow participation of the private sector to alleviate price volatility. The capacity of farmer cooperatives should be strengthened so that they can deliver effective services to members including organizing collective access to inputs a... Read morend output markets for farmers. Government and development partners should provide infrastructure such as warehouses to support farmers' enterprise bargaining. 2). Agriculture Crop Insurance: The dialogue proposed for a system of risk and insurance sharing which might mitigate the consequences of adverse outcomes or might even allow traders to pursue higher returns but more risky activities. In the absence of formal institutions, proposing that social capital might play this role. 3). Governance of Farmer Organizations: As a matter of policy, the dialogue proposed that Agricultural policies should focus more on the intensification of the agriculture sector, empowering farmers’ organizations, and increase the market orientation of the smallholder farm sector, suggesting that ESNAU should be strengthened to assume this role effectively. Umbrella bodies such as ESNAU must take lead in providing governance mentorship and support to farmer organizations including farmer cooperatives. 4) Climate Change Research: The impacts of climate change on the food systems were observed. The dialogue realized that Climate change can affect food availability, access, utilization, and the stability of each of these over time. It was proposed that Research should take centre stage in unravelling the impacts of this phenomenon if the food system is to be sustained. 5). Access to Finance: In the discussions, finance was said to assume vital and significant importance in the agro–socio-economic development of agriculture both at macro and micro levels. Secondly, it was said to be playing a catalytic role in strengthening the farm business and augmenting the productivity of scarce resources. In a food system access to finance serves to initiate production and sustain the value chain. Financiers should provide farmer-friendly financing products. Government should establish an agriculture fund that will act as collateral for smallholder farmers. 6). Improve adoption, access and use of digital technology; The dialogue noted that today's agriculture routinely uses sophisticated technologies such as robots, temperature and moisture sensors, aerial images, and GPS technology. These advanced devices and precision agriculture and robotic systems allow businesses to be more profitable, efficient, safer, and more environmentally friendly. The government was therefore encouraged to promote these technologies through capacity building forums for Primary Producers. Producers are encouraged to adopt and make use of new technologies. 7). Agriculture Mechanization. The dialogue realized that primary producers in Eswatini are heterogeneous and that mechanization could be an answer to the problems faced by farmers; the dialogue understood that Mechanization covers all levels of farming and processing technologies, from simple and basic hand tools to more sophisticated and motorized equipment., this improves the efficient use of resources, enhances market access and contributes to mitigating climate-related hazards. 8) Promote agriculture in Schools and improve the curriculum- and strengthen Career Guidance; They understood that as long as there is not targeted career guidance for pupils taking agriculture subjects in schools the prospects of generating future farmers in bleak. There is a need to create an organization to advocate and advance the aspiration of agriculture students and guide their career paths. A youth wing under ESNAU can be created, to in the first place target schools. 9). Overgrazing and Land degradation: were serious issues for the dialogue, unit livestock agriculture requires massive amounts of land, food, energy, and water; results in polluted land, water, and air; and causes immense animal suffering. livestock production contributes to the world's most pressing environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. The group proposed that farmers must keep the right livestock unit per area (proper Livestock Units). The ministry of agriculture must intensify educational programs. 10). Development and investment agencies could help in providing grants, funds for supporting agriculture projects. Donor funding could make a meaningful difference if they were to support the establishment of a Farmers Bank. Read less

The dialogue was centered around the following themes: 1). THEME: Advancing equity, openness, and fairness in the governance of value chains including in International trade. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Agree on three strategic interventions that would be necessary to address this by the producers themselves and other chain actors, as well as roles of research and policy in this regard. 2).THEME: Enhancing availability and Equitable access to factors of production. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: For each of the key factors of production, explore at least two ideas that will enhance available and equitable ac... Read morecess to primary producers, understanding that they are not a homogenous category. 3). THEME: The groups reviewed the status and level of adoption and scaling up of innovation and technology including digital technology. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Which areas/fields (maxim 5) of research and development/innovations present the greatest opportunities for transforming the lives of farmers and at scale? b) what should be the key principles underpinning the governance of data value chains be based on, particularly with respect to data generated by and from farmers? c) What factors and investments by the different ecosystem’s actors would enable wider adoptions within the shortest period of time- what are the low-hanging fruits? The role of the public and development sector in areas such as backbone infrastructure and capacity, as well as in digital literacy? 4). THEME: Strategic interventions that can increase the pace of involvement of a younger generation of Agri-preneurs in the food system. Delving on the strategies that can be undertaken to contribute towards this and Identify the younger generations' expectations from other ecosystem players. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Identify a maximum of 5 strategic interventions that can increase the pace and scale of the involvement of a younger generation of Agripreneurs. What can the younger generation undertake to contribute towards this, and what is it that they expect from other ecosystem players? 5). THEME: Shifting to sustainable and nature-positive production at scale. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: a) where are the low-hanging fruits in achieving significant shifts to nature positive production by farmers and at scale? What strategic (max 5) investments and infrastructure will be needed to take farmers on a sustainable and scalable nature positive production trajectory in the medium term? What will be the responsibility of farmers in advancing this, and what would they expect from other systems actors, including consumers? Also, consider the role of the public and development sector in de-risking and funding the transitional period. 6). THEME: Priorities for Public and Development sector investments. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: a) Which areas for public sector investments lend themselves to catalyzing the transformation of primary production at scale both in the short and medium-term and similarly for the development sector? (maximum 3 each). Identify a maximum of 5 policy proposals/ideas that you would consider game-changing in transforming the primary production at scale (consider also the role of public and development sector funding in de-risking the transition towards more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive food systems. Read less