Water conflicts in sugarcane areas of Swaziland

Nikole Roland conducted fieldwork in Swaziland between August and September 2017. This fieldwork attempted to understand the influence of sugarcane (and the sugar industry) on water utilization, access and competition in Swaziland, as well as how the 2015-2016 drought affected these dynamics. During her fieldwork, she conducted 37 interviews with national, regional and local stakeholders that included representatives of several ministries of the national government, as well as water distributors and users along the Komati River basin. In addition, she conducted 12 focus group discussions in three communities along the smallholder sugarcane areas of the Komati river to acquire the local perspectives on the history and progression of water competition in the area.