Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Plan (2018- 2023).

The Strategic Plan for the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Eswatini (2018–2023) aims to address persistent challenges of poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity through agricultural transformation. The plan is aligned with national frameworks such as the National Development Strategy and international commitments including the Malabo Declaration and Sustainable Development Goals. Its vision is to optimize agricultural resources to create wealth, while its mission focuses on modernizing agriculture into a sustainable, diversified, and export-oriented sector. The plan sets three overarching goals: increasing agriculture’s contribution to economic development, reducing rural poverty, and improving food and nutrition security. Specific objectives include enhancing domestic production and productivity of crops and livestock, improving value chains and market access, promoting food safety standards, rationalizing land and water use, and fostering fisheries development. Implementation strategies emphasize knowledge management, infrastructure investment, public-private partnerships, and adoption of modern technologies to build resilience against climate variability. Institutional arrangements involve multiple departments and parastatals under the Ministry, supported by a legislative and policy framework comprising operational laws and pending bills. Sector policies are harmonized with regional and global frameworks such as CAADP and SADC-RAP. The plan identifies structural challenges including fragmented land tenure, low productivity, inadequate research and extension services, and vulnerability to climate change. Strategic interventions target key subsectors: livestock (cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, dairy, fisheries, apiculture), crops and horticulture (sugarcane, maize, legumes, vegetables, fruits, cotton), and land and water resource development. Measures include improving breeding programs, feed production, disease control, irrigation infrastructure, and commercialization models. Food and nutrition security strategies focus on diet diversification, hygiene, and income generation for vulnerable households. Implementation relies on stakeholder engagement, resource mobilization through government and development partners, and capacity building.