| Abstract: | In spite of the existence of contract farming or outgrower schemes in Swaziland since the 1960s, there is little information on their operation and no serious research has been carried out on their causes and effects. The present paper aims to fill this gap. It first discusses the problems of conceptualizing contract farming in general and in the context of Swaziland in particular. Then it examines the reasons for the renewed interest in outgrower schemes in Swaziland, which are related to the general trend in agribusiness, the failure of past development strategies in the country, and the peculiar structure of its land tenure system. The most important outgrower scheme in the country, Vuvulane Irrigated Farms (VIF), is described, paying attention to the operations of the Commonwealth Development Corporation, the origin and development of VIF, the selection of farmers and lease arrangements, the management of the scheme, central services delivered to the farmers, and credit and marketing. Bibliogr., notes. |
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