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Food security in Southern Africa: Causes and responses from across the region
18 March 2003, Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria
A meeting hosted by the Southern African Regional Poverty Network in collaboration with CARE International and the French Institute of South Africa
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[Background and purpose]
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Context
Swaziland is a small land locked country surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It has a population of approximately one million. 60% -70% of this population are from rural areas and are predominantly involved in a subsistence agriculture economy.
Although the small kingdom is perceived to be middle income, previous livelihoods and poverty reports, reveal that at least 60 to 70% of the Swazi population live below the poverty line . It is now recognised that the current food security crisis is not simply the effects of a drought. Overall livelihoods have been deteriorating at a rapid pace. The national currency has devalued dramatically and the consumer price index has risen sharply in the past four years. Current vulnerability assessments have shown that poor and middle-income groups have faced a general decline in access to casual and wage labour. Inflation and prices rises have reduced savings and assets, resulting in their inability to withstand future livelihood shocks.
Swaziland ranks amongst the top five countries in the world most affected by HIV/AIDS. The excess morbidity and mortality due to the disease has and will soon have wide ranging socio-economic impacts on households, communities, and the national economy. According to the 2002 Sero-Surveillance report, HIV prevalence among antenatal clinic clients was as high as 38%. (15 - 49 years) At the end of 2002, AIDS related deaths were estimated to be above 50,000. The number of AIDS orphans (30,000 in 2001) is now projected to rise at an average of 10,000 per year between 2002 and 2011. (Stanecki Projections).
For both the short and long term prognosis, communities, the Government of Swaziland and international agencies will need to be able to respond to the recurrent vulnerability of households throughout Swaziland. In both rural and urban areas, non-farm household incomes and livelihoods will continue to be vulnerable to a range of economic shocks and environmental stresses. All indicators point to a continuous structural decline in the role of migrant remittances and growing poverty in the wake of poor economic growth. . .
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