Swaziland, also called as Ngwane or eSwatini, is a small, landlocked country located in southern Africa. It has two capitals – Mbabane (royal/administrative) and Lobamba (legislative). Swaziland’s population is slightly over one million. The economically poor Swaziland is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Swaziland is administratively divided into four districts, and each district is sub-divided into tinkhundla, the total number of tinkhundla in the country being 55. Although geographically small in size, the country enjoys a variety of landscapes including mountains, savannas, rain forests, and several rivers. The peak of winter in the country is June and that of summer is December. Rainfall, mostly falling during the summer, is higher in the western region than in the eastern part. Winter months are dry. Temperatures depend on altitudes of locations, ranging from mild to quite hot.
Context
Context
The agricultural sector of Swaziland is characterized by two distinct types: first, high value crops like sugarcane, citrus and forests grown in the irrigated, productive and industrialized area, (called Title Deeds Land or TDL—a freehold /concession form of ownership comprising commercial plantations, estates, ranches and farms) producing over 81 percent of the total agricultural output and contributing about 8.6 percent of the GDP; and second, subsistence farming on small plots practiced by about 70 percent of the population in rain-fed areas (called Swazi Nation Land or SNL---the land held in trust by the king for the Swazi people and allocated to individual families as communal tracts by the chiefs) of low fertility and declining yields, with maize as the dominant crop, and contributing about 1.2 percent of the GDP. The commercial agriculture sector comprises large sugar estates on TDL and some small farms on SNL. Other crops grown are cotton, potatoes, rice, sorghum, pineapples, tobacco, and beans. Livestock include cattle, goats and sheep.
Key Statistics and Indicators
Indicator | Value | Year |
Agricultural land (sq km) Agricultural land (% of land area) Arable land (hectares) Arable land (% of land area) Arable land (hectares per person) |
12,220 71.04 175,000 10.17 0.16 |
2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 |
Fertilizer consumption (kg per hectare of arable land) | N.A. | |
Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) Food production index (2004-2006 = 100) Food exports (% of merchandise exports) Food imports (% of merchandise imports) |
7.1 104.99 21.12 20.53 |
2011 2011 2007 2007 |
GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US$) | 3470 | 2011 |
Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) Ratio of young literate females to males (% ages 15-24) Ratio of female to male secondary enrollment (%) |
87.43 95.13 92.07 103.32 97.29 |
2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 |
Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) Internet users (per 100 people) |
63.70 18.13 |
2011 2011 |
Population, total Population density (people per sq. km of land area) Rural population Rural population (% of total population) Agricultural population (% of total population)* Total economically active population Total economically active population in agriculture* Total economically active population in agriculture (in % of total economically active population) Female economically active population in agriculture (% of total economically active population in agriculture)* |
1,067,773 62.07 840,542 78.7 N.A. 376,683 141,000 37.43 N.A. |
2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2008 2011 |
Sources: The World Bank
Acknowledgements
- Authored by M. Kalim Qamar (July 2013)
- Edited by Burton E. Swanson