In the heart of Eswatini’s rural communities, where the soil holds stories of resilience and the hands that till it are often those of women, the Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly (SRWA) continues to cultivate more than just crops. It cultivates power, solidarity, and transformation. As preparations intensify for the upcoming trade fair, SRWA’s seed work has emerged not only as a technical endeavour but as a deeply feminist act one that reclaims agency, challenges patriarchal structures, and celebrates the knowledge systems rooted in rural womanhood.
Seed Work as Feminist Praxis
Seed work is not merely agricultural. It is political. It is cultural. It is feminist. For generations, rural women have been the custodians of indigenous seed varieties, preserving biodiversity and ensuring food sovereignty for their families and communities. Yet, their contributions have often been invisibilized by dominant agricultural narratives that prioritize commercial seed systems and male-led farming enterprises. SRWA’s seed work in preparation for the trade fair is a deliberate act of resistance. By centering women’s knowledge, labor, and leadership in seed preservation, the Assembly asserts that rural women are not passive beneficiaries of development they are architects of it.
Preparing for the trade fair, a Collective Effort
The trade fair is more than a marketplace. It is a stage for visibility, a platform for advocacy, and a celebration of rural women’s originality. In the months leading up to the event, SRWA members have engaged in a series of coordinated activities that reflect both strategic planning and grassroots mobilization.
1. Regional Show Participation
Several SRWA members attended regional agricultural shows, not just as observers but as active participants. These shows served as learning spaces, where women exchanged techniques, showcased their seed varieties, and built networks with other farmers and organizations. Members of Sandlalesikhutsele, Jikampondo and Nkomonye women group learned about seed grading, labelling, and packaging standards required for selection of seeds and the knowledge gained was used to select and package seeds for trade fair presentation. Their presence challenged the male dominated spaces of agricultural exhibitions, asserting that rural women are not just labourers, they are innovators.
Seed packaging workshop
In preparation for the trade fair, SRWA organized seed packaging sessions across various communities. Women farmers brought their seeds to be cleaned, sorted, and labelled. Then one woman brought the seed to the office to be bottled and the bottles written with the farmer’s name and number to enable those who want the seeds to be able to call the farmer and buy seeds which is another form of economic empowerment for SRWA.
Women should sell the food surpluses to be able to take care of themselves and their families. The act of placing seeds in bottles is more than a logistical step, it symbolizes preservation, care, and readiness to share knowledge. Each bottle tells a story of cultivation, climate adaptation, and ancestral wisdom. Women were trained to label their seed bottles with names, planting instructions, and origin stories. This not only adds market value but affirms the intellectual property of rural women.
Documentation and Storytelling
SRWA understands that data and stories are powerful tools in feminist advocacy. As part of the preparations, members documented the seed varieties, the women who cultivated them, and the cultural significance behind each crop. Elders shared stories of seed lineage, linking current practices to historical resistance against colonial agricultural systems. Photos and videos were taken to showcase the process.
Feminist themes embedded in the seed work
The preparations for the trade fair are infused with feminist principles that challenge systemic inequalities and uplift rural women’s voices. By packaging and branding their own seeds, women reclaim ownership over their agricultural knowledge. This counters the narrative that rural women are dependent on external aid or commercial seed systems.
Solidarity and Collective Action
The seed work is not done in isolation. Women gather in groups, share resources, and support one another. This collective model reflects feminist values of cooperation over competition. Young women and girls are involved in the seed packaging and storytelling processes. This ensures that feminist agricultural practices are passed down, sustaining the movement beyond the current generation. All of the seeds being prepared are Traditional and climate-resilient seeds. By promoting these varieties, SRWA contributes to ecological sustainability and challenges exploitative agricultural models that harm both land and livelihoods.
Voices from the ground
“When I bottle my seeds, I feel like I am bottling my strength. These are not just grains—they are my story.”
-Thuli Khumalo, SRWA member from Manzini region
“I remember when we used green indignous maize stalks to make sugar, because the stalkes are so sweet.”
-Sindisiwe Ndlangamandla, a member from Godloza in the shiselweni region
“At the regional show, they asked me where I learned to preserve seeds like this. I told them from my grandmother. That knowledge is not in books it’s in our blood.”
-Thoko Dvube, Shiselweni Chairperson
“We are preparing for the trade fair not just to sell, but to teach. To show that rural women are Scientists, Economists, Doctors and historians.”
-Lonhlanhla Mthethwa, SRWA Chairperson
The trade fair as a Feminist Stage
As the trade fair approaches, SRWA is not just preparing products it is preparing a message. A message that rural women are central to food systems, that their knowledge is valuable, and that their voices must be heard in policy spaces.
The trade fair will feature:
- Seed Exhibitions: Showcasing bottled seeds with name and number for the farmer.
- Discussions at the SRWA stall by farmers on topics like seed sovereignty, climate resilience, and feminist farming and the UNDROP.
- Youth engagement: Encouraging young women to learn about seed work, recycling and to join the movement.
Conclusion: Seeds as symbols of feminist resistance
In Eswatini’s rural landscapes, seeds are more than agricultural inputs. They are symbols of resistance, resilience, and renewal. Through the Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly’s preparations for the trade fair, we witness a feminist movement rooted in the soil one that challenges systems of oppression and plants the future with care, courage, and community.
As the bottles are lined up, labelled, and ready to be displayed, they carry more than crops. They carry the dreams of women who refuse to be silenced, the wisdom of generations, and the promise of a more just and inclusive agricultural future.
#Let the trade fair be not just a transaction but a transformation.
