The arrangement will focus on high-quality seed of selected climate-resilient and nutritious African vegetables and establish school and home gardens to diversify food consumption while strengthening the national school-feeding program.

On 27 April 2021, the government of Eswatini and the World Vegetable Center signed a host country and project agreement to facilitate operations for the new Taiwan Africa Vegetable Initiative (TAVI), a two-year project to address malnutrition, protect biodiversity, and create more robust, resilient foundations for food systems in the region.

Dr. Gabriel Rugalema, Regional Director, WorldVeg Eastern and Southern Africa, signed the agreement with Mr. Bongani Masuku, Principal Secretary, Eswatini Ministry of Agriculture. Minister Counsellor Oliver Harn, representing the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the Kingdom of Eswatini, witnessed the ceremony with other colleagues and partners in attendance.

Sub-Saharan Africa faces a “triple burden” of malnutrition. About one-third of children under 5 are stunted; 49% of women of reproductive age suffer from anemia; and overweight and obesity affect 28% of adults. At the same time, climate change and a rapidly growing young population challenge governments across the region to meet the nutritional needs of their populations.

Safeguarding vegetable biodiversity in Africa is essential for food and nutrition security to address these issues.

TAVI aims to:

• Improve child and household nutrition through field-tested school and home garden interventions and links to champion farmers to supply schools with nutrient-dense African vegetables. As part of the National School Feeding Program (NSFP), these activities will bring more nutritious diets to students and families, diversify the food supply, and ensure a future for traditional crops through increased use.
• Upgrade genebanks of Eswatini’s National Plant Genetic Resources Centre (NPGRC) and the World Vegetable Center’s Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa in Tanzania.
• Rescue genetic resources of traditional African vegetables through germplasm collection of at least 4,800 landraces and crop wild relatives from 25 species in four hotspots of vegetable biodiversity in Africa. These crops are in danger of being lost through a lack of awareness about their benefits for agriculture and nutrition.

TAVI began in January 2021 and will conclude in December 2022. Monica Murata, an agronomist from Zimbabwe, is the TAVI project manager.