Annual Country Report 2022: Eswatini. Country Strategic Plan 2020-2025

Rome (Italy): World Food Programme, 2022.

English English

46 p.

ELR1517

The operating environment in Eswatini improved in 2022, with less disturbance caused by civil unrest and a decrease in the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to 2021. However, the effects of the crisis in Ukraine and the subsequent rise in prices of basic commodities such as fuel and food contributed to a sluggish economy, rising unemployment and low levels of private investment. Eswatini ranked 73 out of 121 in the 2022 Global Hunger Index, which is a deterioration when compared to 69 out of 116 in 2021, with the level of hunger classified as moderate. In 2022, Eswatini reached 91 percent (142,480) of the planned beneficiaries, 51 percent of them women. Under strategic outcome 1 in response to the impact of COVID-19 and erratic weather conditions, WFP carried out crisis response activities through unconditional cash and food transfers to affected populations in Lubombo and Manzini regions. WFP provided cash and food transfers to targeted food-insecure households in ten constituencies to enable them to meet their basic food requirements. WFP continued to utilize the beneficiary information and transfer management platform - SCOPE, but reached only 68 percent of the planned beneficiaries due to funding constraints. Under strategic outcome 2, WFP in partnership with the Government, UN agencies and other national partners engaged in capacity-strengthening activities and support to smallholder farmers to enhance market access through linkages to the home-grown school feeding (HGSF) project. WFP also conducted good agriculture practices capacity strengthening for 460 smallholder farmers (68 percent female) who later reported 96 percent lower post-harvest losses. Under strategic outcome 3, WFP supported national social protection systems in identifying and assisting the most food insecure and nutritionally vulnerable populations. The support included nutritious meals for orphans and vulnerable children in pre-primary Neighbourhood Care Points (NCPs) and school meals for children in primary and secondary schools. WFP provided social safety nets for 54,000 orphans and vulnerable children under the age of 5 years in 1,700 NCPs. WFP also worked with the Government in implementing a sustainable, nutrition-sensitive, shock-responsive HGSF programme, providing school meals to 24,000 pupils. Additionally, WFP together with the Center for Financial Inclusion and COMESA Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB), trained 266 female farmers. WFP also capacitated two partners - Membatsise and Swaziland Network of Young Positive - through a livelihoods and nutrition programme for people living with HIV/ AIDS.

Electronic ed.

ELR 1517

Anglais

MON-127103