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Rural poverty approaches, policies and strategies in the Kingdom of Swaziland

Since 1971 Swaziland has been developing Swazi Nation Land through its rural development area programmes as a means of improving the livelihoods of the large number of poor people who live in this region.

In 2000 the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland formulated a poverty reduction strategy and action plan to tackle declining economic growth and increasing poverty. The government pledged to reduce poverty by more than half by 2015, and ultimately to eliminate it by 2022.

With a new constitution in place, and new policies being developed, there are clear indications of positive change and the making of a modern state. The government's poverty reduction strategy and action plan (PRSAP) was jointly developed with local and traditional institutions and communities, NGOs and the private sector. The six pillars of the strategy and action plan are to:

• maintain macroeconomic stability as a basis for growth
• accelerate broad economic growth for the benefit of all citizens
• help poor people develop income-generating opportunities
• use fiscal policies to distribute the benefits of growth fairly
• improve living conditions for poor people
• improve governance and strengthen institutions

As part of its poverty reduction strategy the government has initiated various strategy and policy discussions. All development schemes are required to integrate conservation measures and also to involve local communities in making decisions about land use and environmental management. Specific objectives of the rural development strategy include:

• proposed legislation to improve smallholders' access to water, land and credit
• support for the development of irrigation and the commercialization of agriculture
• a draft rural planning, development and resettlement act to ensure that women are allocated land and obtain the same rights of land management as men
• a livestock development policy to improve the management of livestock and access to markets
• access to domestic water for all rural households

The government intends to pursue crop diversification and is improving economic conditions to encourage foreign investors.

Source: IFAD