Context
The Kingdom of Eswatini is a landlocked country between South Africa and People’s Republic of Mozambique. The country faces numerous challenges such as poverty, chronic food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and climate-related disasters that include droughts, storms and floods and invasive plant and diseases. According to Eswatini's Third National Communication to the UNFCCC, between 1961 and 2010 there is an upward trend in mean annual temperature across the different parts of the country and a decrease in seasonal rainfall and an increase in frequencies of dry spells.
Projections show that Eswatini will continue to get warmer and rainfall will continue to be uncertain and difficult to predict. The country has a low level of awareness of the threats of climate change and faces capacity and technology constraints to address climate change challenges and adaptation to climate change. Though the country experiences chronic food insecurity, vulnerability assessment information still relies on preplanting and post-harvest assessments, and the country lacks continuous crop growth monitoring and assessment tools and technologies for quick and early detection of undesirable threats and occurrence of risks and hazards to food security.
CTCN Support
- To strengthen Eswatini’s vulnerability assessments including the agricultural sector by building scientific and technical capacities within the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) on the application of UAV technology and remotely sensed imagery for crop monitoring and early warning systems, as a climate change adaptation intervention.
Expected Impact
Improved the country’s early warning capabilities through the integration of UAV technology. The outcome would be enhanced early warning, which will help farmers reduce losses and enhance yields which will promote food security, benefitting both men and women in farm households. Thus, the vulnerability will be reduced, enhancing climate change adaptation in the country.