SWAZILAND

ZERI Activities in Swaziland

Swaziland is predominantly agricultural country, producing a huge biomass of agricultural and forestry crop residues (including sawdust, sugar cane bagasse, cereal straw, etc.), which are suitable for mushroom farming business enterprises. Research and development (R&D) work on medicinal mushrooms, was also accorded a high priority. Although Swaziland joined the Regional Project a year late, the country had sent two participants to the First Regional Mushroom Farming Training Workshop, held in Malawi, in Feb 2001, with their own funds. This was due to the dynamic and catalytic role played by UNDP Swaziland, and the great interest shown by the Government of Swaziland. Swaziland has a growing number of tourist hotels, catering for the country’s dynamic tourism industry. These import relatively large quantities of mushrooms (valued at about US$80,000), which could be substituted through developing a national mushroom production industry. With the country’s big tonnage of agricultural and forestry crop residues, Swaziland will, in face, become a net mushroom exporter, when the mushroom cultivation efforts in the country secure adequate funding. Mushroom production activities in Swaziland have already begun. The initiative is being supported by the Regional Project, by the country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, by UNDP Swaziland, by the Private Sector (the Tibiyo Taka Ngwane), and also by His Majesty, The King of Swaziland. The project is promoting mushroom production activities in rural village communities, both for home consumption, and for local markets. The approach adopted is to assist the villagers with technologies on the construction of appropriate mushroom houses, using local building materials; and to share with them technologies on how to take care of mushroom-seed-impregnated substrate bags, from which they later harvest the edible mushrooms produced. The spawn-impregnated substrate bags are supplied to the farmers by the Malerns Research Station of the Ministry of Agriculture and Development Laboratory. The project’s R&D work on medicinal mushroom, which also enjoys great support from the Government of Swaziland, also got started. This activity involves clinical testing of Ganoderma lucidum mushroom capsules on HIV/AIDS victims. This is in recognition of the growing scientific body of knowledge strongly indicating the G. lucidum is a potent immunoresponse booster. Swaziland is one of the countries in Africa most severely hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic Africa needs a wide spectrum of approaches towards seeking a lasting solution to the devastating pandemic.

General Information about Swaziland

Capital:
Mbabane is the capital city and Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital.
Area:
The country covers a total area of about: 17,363 sq km .
Independence:
Swaziland became independent on the 6th of September, 1968 from the UK.
Population:
Estimated to be 1,104,343 People with a growth rate of 1.83% (as of July 2001).
Languages:
English and siSwati are all the official languages.
Agricultural products:
The agricultural products includes: sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, and sheep.