Policy Advocacy
On its establishment, the Union’s mandate being its first priority is to be the farmers’ advocate on policy reforms. The Union’s aim is to promote and safeguard the interests of farmers in Eswatini by linking them with stakeholders, facilitating a favourable environment for production, access to land, water, markets, research and technology for improvement of their livelihoods.
The Union holds policy workshops from time to time, it facilitates or attend to invites from other stakeholders. Most recently, the Union had organised and facilitated independent farmers’ dialogues on food systems to determine the issues around farmers’ contribution to sustainable food systems, these were held at regional and national level and it included stakeholders such as SACAU, FAO, WFP, UNICEF, and Deputy Prime Ministers’ Office. The Union had also organised and facilitated regional shows for farmers and their enterprises which looked into enhancing the profitability of farmers’ enterprises.
ESNAU Farming Input Savings Platform (Tihlele Mlimi)
On its establishment, the Union’s mandate being its first priority is to be the farmers’ advocate on policy reforms. The Union’s aim is to promote and safeguard the interests of farmers in Eswatini by linking them with stakeholders, facilitating a favourable environment for production, access to land, water, markets, research and technology for improvement of their livelihoods.
The Union holds policy workshops from time to time, it facilitates or attend to invites from other stakeholders. Most recently, the Union had organised and facilitated independent farmers’ dialogues on food systems to determine the issues around farmers’ contribution to sustainable food systems, these were held at regional and national level and it included stakeholders such as SACAU, FAO, WFP, UNICEF, and Deputy Prime Ministers’ Office. The Union had also organised and facilitated regional shows for farmers and their enterprises which looked into enhancing the profitability of farmers’ enterprises.
Farming input access
Bulk purchasing of farming inputs for member farmers to attain the principle of economies of scale. The promotion of farmer groups is key in trying to help farmers minimize the costs of inputs for their production. The Union; through the use of the Government Input Subsidy, ESNAU input savings platform and the other projects such as the ESNAU farming Input Program; has helped over 1000 farmers yearly to easily access farming inputs and also have them delivered to the farmers in time for planting. The use of farmer groups and their importance can never be over emphasized.
Market linkages & bulk marketing of produce
markets require constant and reliable supply of produce for their demand. This is most attainable when farmers work in groups and the Union helps them market their produce bulky by linking them with available markets. Most recently, the Union had worked with the World Food Program (WFP) in the Home-Grown School Feeding program. The Union had formed and registered farmer groups as cooperatives and then linked them with WFP where they would then sell their produce. With the seven farmer groups who already are linked with WFP, they are able to supply over 320 MT of dry white maize. They were even able to sell 450 MT more to local millers.
Finance linkages
The Union also endeavours to meet the farmers’ needs not only technically but also financially by linking them with suitable and cheap financial products from reliable financial institutions. The Union has linked Shiselweni livestock farmers with Eswatini bank for financial support. Over 90% of the farmers were able to produce sustainably and have already paid their loans in full. The relationship of the Union and Eswatini bank has been renewed with one more cooperative having been granted a loan to produce white maize in over ten hectares of land. The finance linkages made by the Union are not only limited to local institutions, they also go abroad. One cooperative in Gege has been helped to develop a business plan to try and acquire funds from GrowAfrica and the Ministry of Agriculture.
To keep relationships and develop new ones with financial institutions and insurance, the Union invites them to events such as the agricultural shows.
Funeral policy
The pandemic “Covid-19″ has worsened the risks farmers are facing and has put their vulnerability to spotlight. As much as the Union puts forward the efforts to help farmers to a level of self-sustainability in terms of production, most of them remain socially underprivileged. The Union has noted with much concern that some members have no close relatives who are well-off and can support them during situations like the loss of a life at home. The Union has embarked on a mission, beginning by making sure that members’ lives are covered under a funeral policy.
ESNAU funeral scheme is a service to farmers under ESNAU, it is formed for the purpose of covering farmers’ lives in the midst of the pandemic and beyond it. It was formed by the Union through Eswatini Royal Insurance Company (ESRIC). It is designed to exclusively benefit member farmers including the most destitute small-holder individual farmers. Due to the pandemic’s brutality and the risks farmers are facing daily, the scheme was also designed to have no waiting period for beneficiaries to get covered. In the wake of those unfortunate events, the member gets to benefit a sum of E5000 as a cover. The ESNAU funeral scheme began with 80 farmers from the Hhohho region in 2020 and now it stands to benefits over 180 farmers from all over the nation.
Business plans development for farmer groups
Farmers are encouraged to work together so that their voice can be heard. They are equipped with knowledge and also assisted to develop business plans that they can implement so that they get recognized by big markets and financial institutions. The development of business plans is preceded by the training on how to develop the business plans. During the development of the business plans farmers are expected to take lead with little guidance from the Union’s relevant officers.
Trainings
- Group Trainings, Mentorship & Supervision: Governance, Management, Group dynamics
- Farmer Trainings: Production, marketing and market standards, business planning, financial literacy, planning & budgeting, market negotiations and contract management.