Africa-Press – Eswatini. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (DPMO), through its Disaster Management Department, trained 60 child-headed households on maize and bean production at The George Hotel. The training, held in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Maize Corporation (NMC), aimed to equip vulnerable households with farming skills to improve food security and reduce dependency on food assistance.
Under Secretary in the DPM’s Office, Makhosi Simelane, described the training as a significant milestone in empowering child-headed families to become self-reliant. He said the initiative is part of government’s efforts to build resilience and ensure that every household can produce its own food.
“This programme ensures that our child-headed households gain the knowledge and tools to feed themselves, improve their resilience, and contribute to sustainable agriculture,” Simelane said.
Disaster Manager at the DPM’s Office, Zandile Mavuso, explained that the training was necessary before beneficiaries begin farming using government-provided inputs. “We saw it fit that before our beneficiaries could start farming, they must first be trained so they can produce good yields. With the challenges of climate change, it is important for them to know the right time for ploughing and the correct seedlings to use,” Mavuso said.
She added that the initiative began in 2019–2020 with 184 households and has since grown to support over 900 households across the country.Through the Child-Headed Households (CHH) programme, the DPM’s Office supports beneficiaries with various initiatives such as livestock farming, backyard gardens, fruit tree planting, household fencing, and water harvesting systems, including 5,000-litre tanks and gutter installations.
For the current crop production cycle, each household will cultivate 0.5 hectares of land and receive three hours of tractor hire services through the government subsidy programme. Subsidies for maize and bean production have already been disbursed to the NMC to provide inputs for a successful harvest.
The initiative reflects the government’s ongoing commitment to promoting sustainable livelihoods, empowering vulnerable families, and building a food-secure nation.
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