MJSTEM

Abstract

In Eswatini, smallholder vegetable farming is widely recognised as an effective pathway for improving rural incomes because vegetables generally have higher economic returns per unit area than staple crops and can be harvested several times within a year. This study purposively sampled 199 vegetable farmers who are contracted with NAMBoard and were part of the Market-oriented Climate-smart Agriculture project. These were sampled from a population of 946 vegetable farmers contracted with NAMBoard. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire which was validated by a panel of experts from the Agricultural Economics and Management department. Face to face interviews were used to minimise non-response error. The data were analysed using STATA version 14 an Econometric statistical package. In modelling the determinants of farmers' income are distance to output market, annual household income, access to credit, Climate-smart project participation, and participation in another Climate-smart Agriculture project. The study recommends that policies targeting the improvement of market accessibility, financial inclusion, and Climate-smart Agricultural development are likely to generate substantial income gains among smallholder vegetable farmers in Eswatini.

Keywords