Overview

The Smallholder Agricultural Productivity Enhancement and Marketing Project (SAPEMP) is a transformative initiative to revolutionize Eswatini’s agricultural sector. Driven by EWADE and aligned with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Five-Year Strategy (2024-2028), SAPEMP seeks to establish a resilient, market-driven, and sustainable agricultural system. The project is backed by an E851,089,000 (US$45.5 million) budget from key partners, including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Government of Eswatini, and private sector stakeholders. With a nationwide implementation plan covering all four regions of Eswatini, SAPEMP is enhancing food security, creating jobs, and elevating rural livelihoods.

Components of SAPEMP

SAPEMP is structured around three core components that will drive its success:

Climate-resilient, Sustainable Production

• Focuses on mitigating climate change effects such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves.
• Strengthens community-based resource management and introduces climate-smart agricultural practices.
• Enhances food security and nutrition through increased yields in high-value crops like vegetables and legumes.
• Implements the Gender Action Learning System (GALS) to promote gender equality and empower women in agriculture

Market Linkages and Financial Access

• Connect smallholder farmers (SHFs) to domestic and international markets.
• Addresses barriers such as low aggregation capacity and limited access to financing.
• Strengthens SHF production clusters and links them with agribusinesses.
• Enhances financial services to facilitate growth and market participation.

Policy and Institutional Support

• Develops an enabling environment for SAPEMP’s success.
• Strengthens public service delivery and rural institutions.
• Supports policy frameworks that drive agricultural development and long-term sustainability.