Eswatini Project
Timeframe
November 2021 to April 2023
Context
Agriculture is the main source of income for most of Eswatini’s population.
Agriculture contributes to around 9% of the country’s GDP, half of which comes from livestock production. Most cattle are farmed in traditional livestock production systems.
Eswatini’s NDC (2021) commits to reducing emissions by 5% by 2030 or by 14% with external financing. Action on livestock emissions requires that Eswatini uses a more advanced method to quantify GHG emissions, which the NZCSA initiative has delivered.
The NZCSA project was implemented as a pilot of regional inventory support for 4 countries Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Mozambique. It was completed on time in April 2023 and all objectives were met.
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Description text goes hereEswatini’s previous GHG inventory used the Tier 1 method. Progressing to Tier 2 for livestock had been identified as a priority measure in Eswatini’s NDC (2021). CCAC had previously supported FAO to produce a Tier 2 inventory. Although the GLEAM model was used to produce some estimates using country-specific data, the work did not actually target inventory improvement. Through this previous work, national experts involved in the GHG inventory had a basic understanding of the Tier 2 method, and other relevant agencies had been sensitized on the topic.
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Support to Eswatini was provided as part of a regional support project in which Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Mozambique, with technical support from South Africa, were assisted to compile a Tier 2 inventory for cattle using country-specific information where available and regional information from the other participating countries where necessary. The project was designed and implemented during the pandemic and involved remote technical support with no in-country missions.
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Tier 2 inventory compilation: A Tier 2 inventory of emissions from cattle was compiled and discussed in a national validation workshop. The inventory was compiled largely by the two national experts at University of Eswatini responsible for the agriculture GHG inventory, with support from the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs (MTEA) and Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). The initial Tier 2 inventory compiled used various data sources to substitute for missing country-specific data, and the inventory experts note that these data gaps must be filled before the Tier 2 inventory can be officially adopted. However, the initial inventory has given a clear structure to guide data collection by agroecological zone and land tenure type.
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An initial basis for further inventory improvement: The initial inventory has given a clear structure to guide data collection by agroecological zone and land tenure type; inventory experts and other stakeholders now understand what data is required and how it should be analysed to support inventory improvement.
Results/Resources
Project Information
Impact
The NZCSA project was implemented as a pilot of regional inventory support for four countries Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Mozambique. It was completed on time in April 2023 and all objectives were met.
The CSA Initiative has helped build Eswatini’s capability and capacity to accurately measure and report cattle emissions using the Tier 2 method for the first time. This means there are now people in the country who can produce these internationally required reports.
Implementation Partners
In-country partners
The University of Eswatini (UNESWA)
Ministry of Agriculture (MoA)
Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs (MTEA) and the Climate Change Unit (CCU)
Eswatini, formerly the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its north, west, south, and southeast.
Most of the cattle in Eswatini are farmed in traditional livestock production systems.