A new wave of digital transformation is taking root in Eswatini’s agricultural landscape as the National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBoard) strengthens its farmer outreach through innovative, video-based learning tools. From October 27 to 31, 2025, NAMBoard hosted an intensive training workshop in Manzini-Encabene aimed at integrating Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO) videos into its dissemination systems, a move that marks a significant step in modernizing agricultural extension and farmer communication across the country.
The training, facilitated by the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) under the Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), brought together NAMBOARD extension officers from Eswatini’s four regions (Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, and Shiselweni) with virtual support from the SAWBO team. The opening day also saw the participation of representatives from key partner institutions, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Eswatini Farmers Union, the Eswatini Water and Agriculture Enterprise, and the Eswatini Multipurpose Cooperative Union, underscoring the strong institutional backing behind this collaborative effort.
By the end of the workshop, NAMBoard had successfully selected, translated, and recorded six of the most critical SAWBO videos into Siswati (the local language), focusing on priority value chains. These localized videos will form part of NAMBoard’s upcoming digital video library, giving farmers and extension officers easy, on-demand access to practical and evidence-based agricultural information, even in the most remote areas of Eswatini.
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Opening the workshop, Mr. Bhekizwe Maziya, NAMBoard’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), described the initiative as a “groundbreaking step” in the evolution of agricultural communication in the country.
“As NAMBoard, we carry a national responsibility to ensure that our farmers, whether in the most rural or highly productive areas, have timely access to scientific, practical information,” said Mr. Maziya. “The days when extension only travelled through printed manuals or in-person visits are over. Farmers today are mobile, connected, and eager for visual, easy-to-understand knowledge products. Tools like SAWBO make that possible.”
He added that the partnership with CCARDESA and SAWBO is not only strategic but transformative, as it bridges knowledge gaps and enhances youth participation in agriculture.
“By localizing these innovative, video-based learning tools in Siswati, we are empowering farmers with knowledge that is relevant and accessible in their own language,” he said. “It is also the kind of digital innovation that excites young people and draws them into agriculture, something every government strives to achieve.”
Speaking on behalf of CCARDESA, Dr. Majola Mabuza, Special Programmes Coordinator for the FSRP, commended NAMBoard for its leadership and forward-thinking approach to digital extension.
“This training exemplifies what regional collaboration can achieve when institutions are committed to innovation,” said Dr. Mabuza. “NAMBoard’s effort to integrate SAWBO content into its systems shows how countries can use science and technology to bring research closer to the farmer. It’s not just about digitization, it’s about transformation.”
He further emphasized that localization was a vital ingredient for success.
“When information is translated into the language of the people, it ceases to be abstract knowledge and becomes a tool for empowerment,” Dr. Mabuza added. “That is precisely the kind of impact the FSRP seeks to scale across the region.”
Dr. Barry Pittendrigh, Co-Director of SAWBO, also joined virtually to celebrate the collaboration.
“NAMBoard’s commitment to translating and recording SAWBO content into Siswati represents true local ownership of science communication,” he said. “When scientific knowledge speaks the language of farmers, it becomes actionable, and that’s where impact begins.”
As Eswatini charts its course towards a more resilient and inclusive food system, NAMBoard’s partnership with CCARDESA and SAWBO stands as a model of how technology and localization can reshape agricultural communication. With farmers now poised to learn through animated videos in their own language, the country is turning knowledge into power, and ensuring no farmer is left behind in the digital age.
