Socio-Economic Effects of Neoliberal Transformation on Irrigated Agriculture in Eswatini: A Case of Sugarcane Farmers’ Groups in the Komati Downstream Development Project

Since the early 2000s, the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini has been implementing neoliberal transformations in the agricultural sector, with the aim of primarily promoting the production of cash crops (mainly sugarcane) through the conversion of subsistence farming into commercial agriculture. The main drivers behind this paradigm shift have been poverty eradication and promotion of food security as well as income generation for livelihoods improvement. Despite the intensification of irrigated agriculture since the 1990s, food security has deteriorated, with many rural communities within Eswatini remaining dependent on food aid as the local cereal production has suffered a massive decline. This has largely been caused by an increased focus on export-oriented strategies compared to food grain production. Based on interviews conducted at the Komati Downstream Development Project, the study shows that neoliberal reforms in Eswatini did not improve food security for the great majority of smallholder producers and that the reforms have exacerbated challenges faced in the sugar industry. The chapter concludes by recommending the strengthening of capacities of farmers’ associations for an improvement in sugarcane yields.