Climate smart agriculture in eSwatini

In the summer of 2023 Ingo van Lohuizen and Joyce Tentij entered the Klimaat- en Innovatieprogramma Waterschappen Internationaal (in short: KIWI programm) of the NBW Fund. They became members of the Blue Deal eSwatini team. During two years they travelled to southern Africa to work on a bankable proposal for small scale farmers in the Lomati catchment of eSwatini. Essence of their project is to support these farmers with installing drip irrigation energized by solar panels. It was the birth of eSwatini Climate Smart Agriculture.

Be inspired

International work brings new challenges: a different surrounding, culture and communication. Everything differs, from dealing with time to dealing with power.

An open mindset is therefor a must. The culture in southern Africa teaches acceptation as a form of adaptation to unpredictable circumstances like climate change; a thing we are not used to in the Netherlands.

Working with natural materials.

Working organically

In the ~Netherlands we work iaccording to plans. Internationally you need to be flexible and seize opportunities when they present themselves. Sometimes a message arrives at exactly the right time and other times a week. This opportunistic approach can be valuable in the Netherlands as well: waiting for the right moment to present itself can pay off.

You don’t know, what you don’t know

Working abroad offers surprising insights. What is a matter of cause in the Netherlands, can turn out to be something completely different elsewhere. It gives you a different outlook on your own field of work. For instance, the perspective on the consequences of climate change. The resilience of a small scale farmer in eSwatini who looses his harvest by extreme waether and therefor his livelihood. You experience what it's like when the system is beyond adaptation - a situation that we are getting closer and closer to in the Netherlands after several crises.

No more road...

Did they do it?

The assignment was to write a bankable proposa for installing drip irrigation powered by solar panels, since thus requires budget. In Eswatini, and just across the border in South Africa, research was done with farmers who already use such a system. In the Netherlands organisations were approached that know about funding. To make it short: they succeeded!

The eSwatini Climate Smart Agriculture plan is ready. It has become part of a bigger proposal of the eSwatini government that has been submitted and granted by and international climate fund. It will take some time before the budget is available and implementation can start, but the project can move on.

International network of water authorities

International work demands a network that you do not have when you start. Curiosity and collaboration with experiences colleagues are the first steps. At the end of the KIWI programme Ingo and Joyce attended the biannual REMCO conference in eSwatini and expanded their network with colleagues from Mozambique, South Africa and also the Netherlands and Germany.

Want to know more?

Read the KIWI magazine (page 34) or Waterforum (page 16).

Or get in touch with Marga Oosterveld, partnerschipmanager Blue Deal eSwatini (m.oosterveld@vechtstromen.nl)