Project design and objectives Target group An estimated 22 900 homesteads comprising 226 000 people in the Rural Development Areas (RDAs) and about 700 homesteads growing vegetables on the Vuvelane and Magwanyane private irrigation schemes outside the RDAs were to be taken as the target group. From this group, 8 000 homesteads or about 80 000 people were expected to benefit directly from the project. Objectives and component Objectives. The project aims at assisting the Government of Swaziland (GOS) in its efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency and to improve farm incomes and standards of living among the rural population, in particular for low income smallholders. The main focus of the project was to be on institutional development, in particular the strengthening of the smallholder marketing and credit support services. The project also included the rehabilitation of twelve irrigation schemes. Components: (a) Irrigation: rehabilitation of 12 smallholder-group irrigation schemes for the production of rice and vegetables; (b) Marketing: creation and establishment of a National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMB); provision of market facilities for fruits and vegetables, and maize; and establishment of a Market Intelligence Office under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) Marketing Advisory Unit; (c) Smallholder Credit: improvement in the lending policy of and provision of funds to augment and sustain Swazi Development and Savings Bank (SDSB) smallholder Agricultural Advisory Credit Scheme; (d) Smallholder Inputs Distribution and Maize Purchases through strengthening the Central Cooperative Unions (CCU): provision of working capital and/or credit facilities to improve CCU's smallholder farm inputs distribution and maize purchase activities; (e) MOAC Tractor Hire Pool: provision of tractors and other facilities and improvement in the organization and management of the operations and services of the unit; (f) Technical Assistance and Staff Training; (g) Special Trial and Studies; (h) Monitoring and Evaluation.