WOFACO
Woman Farmer of the Year Competition
The Woman Farmer of the Year Competition is hosted annually by the Woman Farmer Foundation. It has been successfully hosted since 2007 and is open to Women and female youth on Swazi Nation Land active in agribusiness. The foundation works collaboratively with the Ministry of Agriculture (extension department) in facilitating the availability of entry forms in all communities nationwide through the Rural Development Areas outlets of the four regions.
The judging for the competition is based on three criterions with specified percentage marks allocated as follows; Main enterprise (80%), Home management (15%), and participation in community development activities/ display of leadership qualities (5%).
Enterprise Parameters classified according to the Woman Farmer and Female Youth Farmer categories:
| Enterprise | Youth | adults |
|---|---|---|
|
Broilers Birds |
Minimum 500 birds |
Minimum 1000 |
|
Layers Hens |
Minimum 50 birds |
Minimum 100 |
|
Indigenous Chicken Hens |
Minimum 100 hens |
Minimum 200 |
|
Pig production Sows |
Minimum 2 Sows |
Minimum 8 |
|
Weaner Growing Piglets |
Minimum 10 piglets |
Minimum 20 |
|
Dairy Females |
Minimum 2-3 females |
Minimum 6 |
|
Goats Females |
Minimum 20 females |
Minimum 40 |
|
Cattle Cows |
Minimum 2-4 cows |
Minimum 8 |
|
Feedlot Cattle |
Minimum 15 cattle |
Minimum 30 |
|
Cotton (ha) |
Minimum 0.5 (ha) |
Minimum 1.0 |
|
Maize (ha) |
Minimum 0.5 (ha) |
Minimum 1.0 |
|
Vegetables (ha) |
Minimum 0.2 (ha) |
Minimum 0.5 |
|
crops |
With at most 2 crops |
With at most 2 |
|
Legumes (ha) |
Minimum 0.2 (ha) |
Minimum 0.5 |
|
Sweet Potato (ha) |
Minimum 0.2 (ha) |
Minimum 1.0 |
|
Beekeeping Swazi |
Minimum 5 Swazi or 2 Langstroth |
Minimum 10 Swazi or 5 Langstroth |
|
Fruit Trees (ha) |
Minimum 0.2 ha |
Minimum 0.5 |
|
Rabbits Females |
Minimum 10 females and 1 male |
Minimum 20 females and 2 males |
Some Rules and Regulations for the Competition
A farmer has to be on Swazi Nation Land(SNL)
- To be eligible to compete in the competition an entrant must have been active in agribusiness for at least a year.
- The competition is open to women and youth farming on SNL.
- The winner is not eligible to re-enter the competition in the years that follow.
- The winner also becomes an ambassador for the Woman Farmer Foundation. Winner is also expected to motivate and mentor other women and youth, in her community and the nation at large, to partake in agribusiness.