Problems

Potential

Smallholder experience

Social and institutional development

Smallholder Experience

However, even on SNL, there is a large potential for development. There exist models for "modern" farming, with the nearby farming associations using water pumped from the Usuthu River for irrigation and sugarcane production. This type of modern farming organisation constitutes one important model for future farming in the project area as the Swazi people know and accept it. It allows for a certain degree of scale economics while not endangering individual participation, and facilitates the organisation of the water users.

Where SNL smallholders have been able to obtain irrigation water, they have formed themselves into associations, obtained bank credit, installed irrigation, and have put the land under sugar getting yields similar to the commercial sugar estates. This commercialisation of smallholders on SNL has been successfully commenced with the technical support from the private sector, leading to a significant increase of the households’ income.

Up to now, more than 30 associations and co-operatives have been set up on SNL that cultivate irrigated sugarcane. This spontaneous development stopped expanding only because there are no more water rights available from the Usuthu River.

The Project will provide the institutional support and training to assist farmers in forming irrigation associations or WUG. The entire irrigation Project will be run with the WUG forming the basic unit.  

    

Sugarcane field at Big Bend