APPROACH USED BY GOVERNMENT AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOs) IN PROMOTING CROP PRODUCTION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON FOOD SECURITY AND HUNGER IN RURAL SWAZILAND: A CASE STUDY OF SITHOBE

This study was done to establish the appropriateness of government and NGOs strategies to improve food security through the production of drought resistant crops in Swaziland. To determine this, analysis was done on the current rural Swazi livelihoods, strategies used by subsistence farmers to cope with hunger, priorities of both subsistence farmers and change agents and the approach used by change agents to fight hunger. Sithobela community was picked as a case study and a total number of 72 farmers were interviewed who were heads of households irregardless of gender and age. The change agents included in the study were from World Vision and MOAC. The study found that the majority (54%) of the households interviewed, their livelihoods were non-crop growing oriented. Also, priorities of subsistence farmers did not match those of change agents. The results also show that the majority (72%) of the respondents had employed non-crop growing strategies to alleviate hunger and food insecurity in Sithobela community. Moreover, the results reveal that there was no collaboration between change agents and subsistence farmers. The key conclusions found by the study were that farmers were not for crop growing anymore but were for non-farm activities.  Moreover, goals, priorities and objectives of farmers and that of change agents were different and there was no collaboration. Unless there is collaboration between farmers and change agents, and the goals and strategies match, government and NGOs will not be able to attain their goals thus hunger and food insecurity will continue to prevail in Sithobela community.