Swaziland Country Report

The report identifies Swaziland as highly vulnerable to climate change, with observed temperature increases exceeding 3°C between 1961 and 2000. It assesses the role of higher education institutions, such as the University of Swaziland (UNISWA), in addressing these risks through research, teaching, and community outreach. The analysis reveals significant gaps in observational data, a lack of postgraduate research (Masters and PhDs), and a need for transdisciplinary approaches that integrate indigenous knowledge with scientific methods. While some initiatives in agriculture, water, and energy are active, the report argues for a more coordinated national strategy and the mainstreaming of CCD into university curricula and government policy.

• Swaziland has experienced a significant increase in annual mean temperature of more than 3°C from 1961 to 2000 across all agro-ecological zones.
• The country is highly vulnerable to climate change, particularly in the sectors of agriculture, forestry, food security, water resources, biodiversity, and terrestrial ecosystems.
• There is a critical lack of observational data and a deficiency in data coordination and storage capacities needed to establish climate change baselines in Swaziland.
• Higher education institutions in Swaziland face a shortage of advanced research capacity, with few Masters or PhD students available to conduct meaningful CCD research.
• Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) are identified as a vital but underutilized resource for predicting weather patterns and developing local adaptation and mitigation strategies.
• Current university curricula often treat climate change superficially, with a need to shift from theory-heavy teaching to more practical, praxiological orientations.
• Transdisciplinary research is in its infancy in Swaziland, with most academic work remaining within single disciplines or limited multidisciplinary frameworks.
• Institutional barriers to CCD include the absence of a dedicated national climate change agency, insufficient funding, and a lack of a consolidated legislative framework.
• Existing CCD-related initiatives are fragmented, with some focus on energy efficiency (Swaziland Electricity Company) and others on sustainable land management (LUSIP-GEF project).

APA

Urquhart, P., & Lotz-Sisitka, H. (2014). Swaziland Country Report. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SARUA-Vol2No9-Swaziland-Country-Report.pdf

Chicago

Urquhart, Penny, and Heila Lotz-Sisitka. Swaziland Country Report. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2014. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SARUA-Vol2No9-Swaziland-Country-Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Urquhart |first1=Penny |last2=Lotz-Sisitka |first2=Heila |title=Swaziland Country Report |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=May 2014 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SARUA-Vol2No9-Swaziland-Country-Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{urquhart2014swaziland, author = {Urquhart, Penny and Lotz-Sisitka, Heila}, title = {{Swaziland Country Report}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, month = may, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SARUA-Vol2No9-Swaziland-Country-Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }