By Nokunceda Magagula | 2025-03-31

The E851million Smallholder Agricultural Productivity Enhancement and Marketing Project (SAPEMP) has officially kicked off, marking a significant milestone in the agricultural sector.

The official launch of the programme was held yesterday and aims to transform the country by improving the livelihoods of thousands of smallholder farmers.

The project is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and will be implemented by Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (EWADE)
The development objective of SAPEMP is to sustainably increase smallholder farmers’ production and productivity of vegetables and beans, linking them with sustainable markets, empowering them and building their resilience to climate change, thereby enhancing their food security and nutrition.

According to IFAD Country Director Francesco Rispoli, the project particularly addresses the critical need for coordinated production and market access to support sustainable commercialisation and smallholder farmers’ participation in markets.

“The project will support the establishment of win-win business relationships between smallholder farmers organised in clusters and Anchor Enterprises (AE),” said Rispoli.
He emphasised that the project design included a strong focus on youth, gender, nutrition, climate change, and the environment.

He highlighted that women and youth were important target groups for SAPEMP. Targeted interventions for these groups would include coaching and mentoring to support their commercialisation and the development of entrepreneurial activities, such as value addition and service provision within the value chain.

The country director stated that SAPEMP would be implemented over an eight-year period, from 2025 to 2033.
He said the ministry of agriculture would be the executing agency.

EWADE will serve as the Lead Implementing Agency (LIA).
He noted that EWADE had a long track record of successfully implementing projects in the agricultural space, including the recently concluded Smallholder Market-Led Project (SMLP), supported by IFAD, which was completed in 2024 and reached about 90 000 beneficiaries.

He said SAPEMP would not work in isolation but would leverage other past and ongoing investments, including linkages with FINCLUDE, implemented by Centre of Financial Inclusion (CFI) and the new World Bank-supported project focused on youth in agribusiness.

SAPEMP will directly reach an estimated 19 600 households, representing about 117 700 people, of which 40 percent are women, 30 per cent are youth, and 5 per cent are members of vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities.

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