Agriculture development is one of the macro strategic areas for Eswatini’s Vision 2022. To achieve this vision, the Government of Eswatini established the Eswatini Water and Agriculture Development Enterprise Limited (ESWADE) with an aim to assist farmers on communal land to convert from subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture through the provision of water, skills and other necessary support systems and technology. 

The Mkhondvo – Ngwavuma Water Augmentation Program (MNWAP) is, thus, a strategic development aimed at the attainment of the country’s economic development goals by empowering subsistence farmers to convert into commercial irrigated agriculture through the provision of water infrastructure and capacity building

The overall goal of the project is to contribute to food security, poverty reduction and resilience to climate change, through supporting water and irrigation infrastructure development in Eswatini.

• Determining the impact of climate change on the various phases of the vegetable production systems in eSwatini
• Influencing project design to ensure that solutions to mitigate climate risk in the vegetable value chain are integrated in project design

• Resources mobilized for the construction of Mahamba Gorge Dam and Mpakeni Dam as well as water conveyance systems
• Feasibility studies for the construction of dams at Mahamba Gorge and Ethembaon the Mkhondvo Riverto enable the transfer of water to the Ngwavuma River
• Dam construction at Mpakeni on the Ngwavuma River to enable the conveyance of water to downstream areas for irrigation
• Preparation of detailed designs and bidding documents for the new dams to be constructed at Mahamba Gorge, Ethemba and Mpakeni as well as the conveyance system to irrigation areas downstream

• Reduced unemployment and poverty incidence
• Increased productivity, diversification, supply of value added agro-based products for the local and external markets
• Increased entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for women and youth