Eswatini Outreach Programme: Strengthening Adaptation and Traditional Knowledge Systems to Enhance Resilience

The Eswatini Outreach Programme, supported by the NAP Global Network, conducted workshops and case studies across Eswatini's four administrative regions to integrate traditional knowledge into climate adaptation. The programme found that while traditional early warning systems remain prominent in rural areas, they are declining due to modern living and a lack of coordination in documentation. It highlighted the extreme vulnerability of peri-urban areas like KaKhoza, which are often overlooked by adaptation programmes, and called for a nationwide outreach strategy, a formal monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) system, and the archiving of indigenous knowledge to inform scientific climate observations.

• Climate change acts as a multiplier of existing vulnerabilities, such as extreme poverty, high unemployment, and poor governance. Without intervention, communities dependent on biodiversity and subsistence farming may resort to crime or overexploit natural resources for survival.
• Traditional and Indigenous Knowledge, including natural weather early warning systems, is still used in rural communities but is steadily declining as modern living increases and modern technologies replace these systems, despite many communities being unable to afford new technology.
• Peri-urban areas are frequently neglected by poverty reduction and adaptation programmes because of their proximity to economic hubs, leaving residents in informal settlements highly susceptible to climate change and urban poverty.
• Agricultural production and food security in Eswatini have been significantly impacted by erratic precipitation patterns and the late onset of rains.
• Current adaptation project implementation is hindered by poor coordination between government ministries and a lack of a proper monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) system, leading to mismanagement of funds and unsustainable 'white elephant' projects.
• Educational programmes on climate adaptation are often ineffective because they focus on community members while neglecting the decision-makers who oversee the processes.

APA

Tfwala, S. (2022). Eswatini Outreach Programme: Strengthening Adaptation and Traditional Knowledge Systems to Enhance Resilience. NAP Global Network. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/napgn-en-2023-eswatini-outreach-programme.pdf

Chicago

Tfwala, Samkele. Eswatini Outreach Programme: Strengthening Adaptation and Traditional Knowledge Systems to Enhance Resilience. NAP Global Network, 2022. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/napgn-en-2023-eswatini-outreach-programme.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tfwala |first1=Samkele |title=Eswatini Outreach Programme: Strengthening Adaptation and Traditional Knowledge Systems to Enhance Resilience |publisher=NAP Global Network |date=December 2022 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/napgn-en-2023-eswatini-outreach-programme.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tfwala2022eswatini, author = {Tfwala, Samkele}, title = {{Eswatini Outreach Programme: Strengthening Adaptation and Traditional Knowledge Systems to Enhance Resilience}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2022}, month = dec, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/napgn-en-2023-eswatini-outreach-programme.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }