“The soil is healthy, the crops are happy – and so are we”:
Reviving Eswatini’s traditional foods through the Taiwan–Africa Vegetable Initiative

They were once seen as ‘poor man’s food’ – vegetables like amaranth, African nightshade, okra, and Ethiopian mustard quietly growing in backyard gardens – were always overlooked in favour of commercial crops.

But today, across Eswatini’s rural landscapes and now towns, these humble greens are being reclaimed, not just for profit, but for health and sustainable livelihoods in many families. From feeding school children to fuelling family incomes, traditional African vegetables are making a powerful comeback.

At the heart of this revival is the Taiwan-Africa Vegetable Initiative (TAVI), which is helping smallholder farmers turn forgotten foods into flourishing livelihoods, while preserving the cultural roots that once nourished generations. TAVI’s model focuses on empowering smallholder farmers with seed kits for traditional vegetables, and practical training on how to grow and cook with them. It has resulted in thousands of gardens springing up across the country.

By placing traditional vegetables at the centre of school feeding programmes, household gardens, and market stalls, TAVI is helping communities rediscover the pride once associated with these crops. The distribution of free seed kits, nutrition education and cooking demonstrations in communities through the use of a mobile kitchen, and a colourful recipe book showcasing traditional dishes are all part of the strategies used to educate, mobilize and promote the production and consumption of traditional vegetables.

Duduzile Dlamini is a retired agriculture teacher from Boyane Primary School, in the dusty, rural central-west area of Eswatini, swapped the classroom for a spade. After decades of teaching, she now works with her son, a qualified engineer who is unable to find work. TAVI identified her as a Champion Farmer – someone who is passionate about cultivating traditional African vegetables with the objective of selling them within the community, including to neighbouring schools. With guidance and free seed kits from TAVI the duo has been able to cultivate their land and grow traditional African vegetables for both subsistence and commercial purposes. Their garden does not just feed her family, it feeds over 800 children at the school she used to work at.

“This year’s harvest is even better than last,” she beams, standing beside neat rows of leafy amaranth crops. “We use manure from our cows and goats, and we don’t rely on chemicals. The soil is healthy, the crops are happy, and so are we.”

Perhaps TAVI’s most visible achievement is in school kitchens. Across Eswatini, thousands of schoolchildren now enjoy meals that include indigenous vegetables, thanks to deliveries from local farmers and thriving school gardens supported by the project. In these schools, teachers report not only better nutrition, but improved energy and attentiveness among children.

At Boyane Primary School, Mr Dlamini, a teacher explains, “Many of our children rely heavily on the school for food. Before, we could only provide porridge and beans. Now, we serve balanced meals. The learners are happier and healthier,” she said.  It is a simple but powerful shift, from starch-heavy, processed meals to colourful plates rich in iron, calcium, and essential vitamins. It is all coming from within the community.

“For farmers like Dlamini,  traditional African vegetables have helped to improve family nutrition and household income, supporting more stable and comfortable livelihoods,” said Dr Sophia Chan, TAVI Project Manager.

Vegetable farmer Duduzile Dlamini in her vegetable garden with Tanzania agriculture expert Jeremiah Sigalla and Taiwan Ministry of Agriculture expert, Yu Heng Lin at Boyane, Eswatini. Picture by Psychology Hlatshwayo, Eswatini Daily Digest media.

According to Chan, TAVI has laid the foundation by piloting activities that demonstrated the potential of traditional African vegetables to improve nutrition, livelihoods, and partnerships across target communities. Building on these successes, the next phase of TAVI-is designed to scale up the achievements. It will expand the project’s reach to more farmers, schools, and communities, strengthen value chains, and deepen collaboration with genebanks and partners. In this way, Phase II moves TAVI from piloting and proof of concept toward broader implementation and long-term impact”.

“The future of the project in Eswatini is very promising,” continued Chan. “Farmers can look forward to greater income opportunities by supplying traditional African vegetables to markets, while communities will become more self-sufficient through home and school gardens. At the same time, improved diets will strengthen nutrition and help reduce the risk of diseases, particularly non-communicable diseases, ensuring healthier and more resilient households.”

In an era when food systems are under strain and communities are rethinking their relationship with land and health, Eswatini is quietly showing the way. The TAVI model blends indigenous knowledge with sustainable farming practices, and places power directly in the hands of those who work the land.

From feeding children to providing work for retired teachers and young unemployed graduates, TAVI is helping farmers turn what once grew quietly in the margins, into dreams and sustainable livelihoods.

Story by Nontobeko Mbuyane.