The Convention to Combat Desertification
Swaziland National Action Programme

CONTENTS | SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION | SECTION 2: DESERTIFICATION IN SWAZILAND | SECTION 3: EXECUTION OF THE NAP PROCESS | SECTION 4: RESPONSES TO DESERTIFICATION | SECTION 5: SETTING THE PRIORITIES | SECTION 6: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL ACTION PROGRAMME | LIST OF REFERENCES AND ACRONYMS | LINKS

SECTION 4: RESPONSES TO DESERTIFICATION

4.1: Introduction

Combating desertification goes beyond the recognition of the existence, causes and effects of desertification. There is need to respond to the problem in a positive and sustainable manner. Various institutions whose activities relate to desertification either positively or negatively need to be engaged in the process. These institutional initiatives could be in the form of programmes or projects. Success of the initiated projects or programmes can only be realised if appropriate policy and legislative instruments are in place. This Section examines how the government of Swaziland and other institutions have responded to the issue of desertification. The Section looks at the institutional initiatives in the form of on-going programmes or projects and the policy and regulatory responses associated with these programmes.

4.2: Policy and regulatory responses

Effective policies and legislation are essential for the success of any programme because they guide and facilitate the achievement of the set goals. Several policies and regulations have been drafted over the years. Some of these do address the issue of land degradation in the country. Amongst the policies that were meant to address issues of land degradation is the Forest Preservation Act of 1910. This Act restricts forest clearance and the cutting of trees on Swazi Nation Land and land leased to Government as outlined in Section 3 of the Act. The Natural Resources Act (1951) and the King's Order in Council of 1954 which led to the establishment of the Central Rural Development Board (CRDB) also address aspects of land degradation. Related to the activities of the CRDB is the Swazi Nation Act (1961) which controls land use in rural areas. In 1972, the Control of Tree Planting Act was established. This Legislation gives the Ministry of Agriculture and the Natural Resources Board the mandate to designate tree control areas on agricultural land. Orderly development of urban and rural settlements is controlled by the Human Settlement Act of 1989 as amended in 1992. Although there are extensive policies and regulations regarding the use of natural resources in the country, a number of problems have been experienced. These problems include duplication, poor implementation and lack of enforcement of existing policies. The National Action Programme must solicit means of consolidating duplicated policies and strategies to avoid such occurrences in the future.

Since (1992) the implementation and enforcement of policies and regulations is a mandate of the Swaziland Environment Authority as contained in the SEA Act (1992). Amongst the achievements of the SEA is the formulation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations and procedures (1996). This policy instrument is meant to address inappropriate siting of infrastructure and minimise disturbance on the environment. These regulations and procedures are being revised to emphasise on the social aspects of EIAs. The second achievement has been the preparation and completion of the Environmental Action Plan (SEAP). The SEAP defines plans and actions that will ensure sustainable use of natural resources in the country. Within the SEAP, issues that are relevant to combating desertification are mainly covered under natural resource management. Other relevant sectors include the biodiversity, energy and forestry sectors. In 1998, the SEA engaged a national co-ordinator to facilitate the formulation of the Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP). The BSAP is now complete and awaiting Cabinet approval. In June 1997, drafting of the National Land Policy was launched by the Honourable Minister of Natural Resources and Energy. This policy is still under review. Part of this policy initiative is the drafting and review of the Rural Land Policy to address matters such as rural land tenure and overall resource management.

As a follow-up activity to the Earth Summit held in Rio de Jenerio in 1992, government initiated the National Development Strategy in 1994. The main features of the NDS is the incorporation of environmental concerns in the development initiatives of the country. The NDS also highlights or reflects the national policy instruments. In 1997, the Prime Minister's Office initiated the Economic and Social Reform Agenda (ESRA) and is now in its second phase. Under ESRA, policies in the areas of population, water conservation, rural settlement, social welfare, housing and gender are under review or being drafted.

4.3: Institutional initiatives

Issues of land degradation in the country have been cause for concern since the colonial period. Measures to control soil erosion in the country started in the 1940s with the introduction of grass strips by extension workers. A total of 113 780km of grass strips were laid out by the extension workers between 1940 and 1960. In 1951, the Natural Resources Board was established by the Natural Resources Act. This board was commissioned to supervise the use of natural resources in the country, except on SNL. This was followed by the formation of the Central Rural Development Board (CRDB) by the King's Order in Council in 1954. The CRDB was charged with resettlement, the division of all SNL into arable and grazing areas and the management of the nations' natural resources. As a consequent to the formation of the CRDB, local conservation or development committees (Imisumphe) were established. However, due to conflicts with chiefs and basic ingredients of operations these became inefficient (Osunade, 1994 (b)).

In 1970, the RDAP was established with funding from the United Kingdom. The programme was extended in 1976 with bilateral aid from West Germany, Sweden and Canada and multilateral aid from the World Bank, African Development Bank, European Economic Union (EEC) and UNDP. This programme was geared to improve the income and well-being of the Swazi farmers by providing infrastructure, fencing grazing areas, improving livestock management and land consolidation among other things. Soil conservation became prominent in the RDAP with the introduction of terraces to replace grass strips. According to Osunade (1994 (b)), only 20% of the planned conservation measures were achieved in the RDAP. Of the planned removal of 39 400 ha of grass strips only 2 034 ha were removed and of the 42 800 ha of terraces, a total of 2 003 ha were constructed. In most cases, the established terraces are poorly maintained and have contributed to the problem of soil erosion. This is particularly true in road reserves. On the other hand, although grass strips are also poorly maintained, they have been successfully integrated to the farming systems of the country. Since 1983, farmers have continued to lay grass strips in their farms without anybody compelling them (Osunade, 1994 (b)).

The year 1992 saw the establishment of the Swaziland Environment Authority, a body whose mandate is to oversee all environmental issues in the country. As a result of this initiative, the Swaziland Environment Action Plan has been produced. Whilst, it is still too early to measure the effectiveness of this initiative, it is important to note that without effective public participation the initiative is not likely to yield the desired results. Also of importance in the success of any initiative is to identify and address the key issues in a holistic manner.

Key players in environmental protection have been the Ministries of Agriculture and Co-operatives, and Natural Resources and Energy. With the transfer of SEA and the Swaziland National Trust Commission (SNTC) in 1997, the Ministry of Tourism and Communication, now called the Ministry of Tourism , Communication and Environment became involved. SNTC, established in 1972, is the main institution for the development and administration of national parks and reserves as well as the identification of protection worthy areas. Environmental Education programmes are also being co-ordinated by SNTC. Key departments or sectors in the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives regarding environmental protection are the Land Use Planning Section, Soil Testing Unit, Forestry Section and the CRDB. Within the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, the Land Use Planning Section is supposed to oversee that land allocation is according to the capability of the land. The Soil Testing Unit is supposed to ensure appropriate use of chemical fertilisers on land. The forestry section is responsible for afforestation programmes in the country. Key sectors in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy are the Energy section, Natural Resources Board, Water Resources Board, Water Apportionment Board and Rural Water Supply Board. The Energy Sector is supposed to ensure supply and efficient use of energy resources in the country whilst the other sectors have to ensure the availability of clean water supplies and efficient use of water resources.

4.4: Current and on-going programmes and project

The country has engaged a number of programmes and projects that can significantly contribute to the fight against desertification. Downing and Zuke (1996) give a detailed review of on-going Programmes and projects. These programmes and projects are sub-divided into three categories. There are programmes and projects that are implemented by the Central government department (Table 4.1), those that are implemented by parastatals and the private sector and programmes and projects implemented by Non-Governmental Organisations. Key ministries in the central government programmes and projects are the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy. Within the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, the key sections are the Land Use Planning, Livestock, Forestry Sections and the Agricultural Promotion and Extension Programme. There are two sections of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy which have undertaken projects that are relevant to desertification. These are the Energy Section and the Geological Survey and Mines Department.

Noted in these programmes is the lack of or poor participation of communities in the design and implementation of the programmes. Of particular concern is the resettlement programme which was meant to address the issue of land allocations in rural areas. Concern has been raised in a number of areas that whilst people were resettled to make room for grazing and cultivation, in some areas, grazing lands were not properly fenced or allocated. As such, there is a shortage of grazing land and the cattle roam around causing destruction not only on the communal land but also to property (especially trees) and fields. A second area of concern is the apparent duplication of efforts between ministries or departments and within the same ministry or department. Examples include the Rural Development Area Programme, Grazing Management Programme, Intensive Livestock Production Systems Programme, and rural water supply programmes. There is need to consolidate resources in those programmes that are closely related to avoid duplication.

Table 4.1: On-going government programmes addressing the issue of desertification in the country

Source: Downing and Zuke (1996) Allen (1997)

Private Sector Initiative

Within the private sector, the Swaziland Sugar Association and SAPPI Usutu have displayed a keen interest on initiating programmes with a positive impact on the fight against desertification. SAPPI Usutu initiated the "Tiphilise Ngelihlatsi project to encourage neighbouring communities to grow commercial tree as an income-generating project whilst combating soil erosion. This project was formally launched this year, on August 19, 1998. In as much as this programme may contribute to combating desertification, there is need for a thorough analysis of its environmental impacts, especially with reference to soil processes and possible depletion or pollution of water resources. Downing and Zuke (1996), also note that the Swaziland Sugar Association has played a key role in drought relief programmes. The water Strategy Planning Committee of the SSA and key government department have initiated a project on sediment transport for the estimation of erosion in critical catchments. This project will not only sustain water supply but fish populations within the catchments.

Non-Governmental Organisations

Regarding Non-governmental Organisations, several are NGOs engaged in programmes and projects that address issues of desertification in the country. Some of these programmes are outlined by Downing and Zuke (1996) and the report on the workshop on NGO involvement in the NAP process for the implementation of CCD (Anon). The different NGOs and their programmes are shown in Table 4.2 below. Apart from the listed projects, Non-governmental organisations also conduct workshops on environmental awareness, soil management, water management, livestock management, crop production and energy efficient stoves in the different areas of operation. The key organisations in the conduction of these workshops are the Council of Swaziland Churches, Baphalali Swaziland Red Cross Society, Lutheran Development Service and Yonge Nawe. Yonge Nawe also runs workshops on the Convention to Combat Desertification for other NGOs.

The results of a study by Patrick (1988) on Traditional Leaders, Rural Development and Leadership Training in Swaziland indicate that water systems as well as cattle and pasture management are high priority areas in most communities. The chiefs demonstrated little interest on resettlement, dam construction, land reclamation and woodlots. This bias is also illustrated in the on-going government and NGO projects and programmes and there is need to address the issue. For example, of the fourteen (14) on-going projects by government, 4 deal with sustainable land allocation and utilisation, 4 deal with cattle and pasture management and 3 are water related projects. Although some work is being done on the rehabilitation of degraded lands, this has been limited to a few areas. Extended coverage of projects and operation areas can be facilitated by the Co-ordination Unit of the NAP. This unit should suggest possible projects that deserve to be executed and a list of critical areas which are seriously affected by desertification. With the exception of the Swaziland Farmer's Development Service, community participation is not clearly stated in most NGO projects. The National Action Programme emphasises on this important aspect of project development and implementation. NGOs have the responsibility to assist communities in the implementation of other projects rather than concentrating on pre-funded or aid-driven projects.

Research

The University of Swaziland and other organisations have conducted a number of studies on gully erosion in the country. This information is extremely valuable in terms of determining the most affected areas with regard to desertification. However, not much has been done on the rate of sedimentation in our river systems and the destruction of wetlands by sedimentation and trampling. The NAP also encourages further research activities on these topics. Other topics of research include an analysis of resilient plant species and plants that may be used to rehabilitate degraded land and wetlands.

Table 4.2. On-going projects under the auspices of NGOs

* Collaborative effort between Lutheran Development Service, Swaziland Farmer Development Foundation, Yonge Nawe, Caritas Swaziland and Umtapo

Source: Anon (1997).