Factors Affecting Commercialisation of Indigenous Chickens in Swaziland

Abstract, Macrothink Institute, 2013

Agriculture is traditionally the backbone of Swaziland’s economy and a major source of employment for rural households with over 70% of the population relying on this sector for their incomes. The diverse agricultural activities that take place in the country include the production of sugarcane, citrus fruit, and maize and other cereal crops, cotton, forestry and livestock. Swaziland’s agricultural sector is divided into two sub-sectors namely; formal and informal or traditional. Traditional or subsistence farming is mainly practiced on Swazi Nation Land (SNL), which is about 60 percent of land in Swaziland (MOA, 2012). It is acquired in terms of Swazi law and custom. While agricultural activities in these areas may be carried out for subsistence purposes only, efforts are being made to encourage SNL farmers to practise commercial agriculture (Thompson, 2012). According to Thompson (2012), the formal agriculture category embraces the large sugar and citrus estates, forestry and other undertakings on individual tenure farms (ITFs) which generate foreign exchange earnings. It covers about 40 percent of the land in Swaziland.