{"id":86983,"date":"2026-04-21T06:25:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T06:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers"},"modified":"2026-04-21T07:25:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T07:25:15","slug":"from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers","title":{"rendered":"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Eswatini. <\/strong><\/span>What started as an energy-saving upgrade at King Mswati III International Airport is now growing into an unexpected source of income for local farmers, nursery operators and small-scale agribusinesses across Eswatini.<\/b><\/p>\n

The airport\u2019s Phase 1 Environmental Sustainability Strategy (2025\u20132030) aims to cut energy consumption by up to 70% through LED lighting upgrades and expanded solar power systems. The project includes converting runway lighting from halogen to LED, installing solar-powered lighting across perimeter fences, aprons and parking areas, and developing a 2-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant to support long-term energy needs.<\/p>\n

Beyond reducing electricity costs and improving efficiency, the changes are reshaping demand in the local economy. The airport\u2019s shift towards green landscaping and environmental restoration is expected to significantly increase the need for indigenous trees, ornamental plants and related materials, creating a structured market for small-scale growers and youth-led enterprises.<\/p>\n

ESWACAA Director of Airports, Fik\u2019sile Dlamini, who oversees airport operations, said the initiative is designed to align infrastructure development with environmental responsibility and economic inclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about building a resilient, efficient and environmentally responsible airport that supports national development priorities while responding to global climate imperatives,\u201d said Dlamini.<\/p>\n

She added that the strategy also strengthens Eswatini\u2019s alignment with international aviation sustainability standards while reducing long-term operational costs through lower energy use and maintenance demands.<\/p>\n

The initiative supports national environmental efforts led by the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, including the \u201cplant a tree\u201d campaign focused on biodiversity conservation, reforestation and sustainable land use practices.<\/p>\n

Environmental observers say such projects are becoming increasingly important in Southern Africa, where climate change, land degradation and irregular rainfall continue to threaten agricultural productivity and ecosystems.<\/p>\n

For local producers, however, the shift is already opening new pathways into formal supply chains linked to sustainability projects. Small businesses are now positioning themselves to benefit from institutional demand driven by green infrastructure development.<\/p>\n

As Phase 1 unfolds, the airport is no longer only a transport hub, but also a driver of local economic participation through environmental investment.<\/p>\n

For many emaSwati, the transformation signals something deeper that, growth is now taking root not only in infrastructure, but in the soil of opportunity.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Eswatini<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Eswatini. What started as an energy-saving upgrade at King Mswati III International Airport is now growing into an unexpected source of income for local farmers, nursery operators and small-scale agribusinesses across Eswatini. The airport\u2019s Phase 1 Environmental Sustainability Strategy (2025\u20132030) aims to cut energy consumption by up to 70% through LED lighting upgrades […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":86981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[249],"class_list":["post-86983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-eswatini"],"yoast_head":"\nFROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS - Eswatini<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What started as an energy-saving upgrade at King Mswati III International Airport is now growing into an unexpected s ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What started as an energy-saving upgrade at King Mswati III International Airport is now growing into an unexpected s ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Eswatini\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-21T06:25:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-21T07:25:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743676.81617.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-21T06:25:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-21T07:25:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers\"},\"wordCount\":378,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743676.81617.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Eswatini\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers\",\"name\":\"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS - Eswatini\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743676.81617.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-21T06:25:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-21T07:25:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"What started as an energy-saving upgrade at King Mswati III International Airport is now growing into an unexpected s ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743676.81617.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743676.81617.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/\",\"name\":\"Eswatini\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS - Eswatini","description":"What started as an energy-saving upgrade at King Mswati III International Airport is now growing into an unexpected s ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS","og_description":"What started as an energy-saving upgrade at King Mswati III International Airport is now growing into an unexpected s ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers","og_site_name":"Eswatini","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2026-04-21T06:25:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-21T07:25:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743676.81617.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS","datePublished":"2026-04-21T06:25:56+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-21T07:25:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers"},"wordCount":378,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743676.81617.jpg","keywords":["Eswatini"],"articleSection":["all news","policy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers","name":"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS - Eswatini","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743676.81617.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-21T06:25:56+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-21T07:25:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"What started as an energy-saving upgrade at King Mswati III International Airport is now growing into an unexpected s ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743676.81617.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2026\/04\/sm_1776743676.81617.jpg","width":1080,"height":720,"caption":"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/from-runway-to-roots-green-shift-opens-doors-for-local-growers#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"FROM RUNWAY TO ROOTS: GREEN SHIFT OPENS DOORS FOR LOCAL GROWERS"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/","name":"Eswatini","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86983"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86988,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86983\/revisions\/86988"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}