“Swaziland’s climate is moderate, near-temperate, subtropical, and semiarid. The climate is localized, varying over short distances with changes in altitude. Swaziland is a middle-income developing country, with per capita GDP of $1,560. Most people living in rural areas depend on cash income to supplement own-farm income. Subsistence agriculture employs about 60 percent of the rural population and contributes about 16.2 percent of GDP. Maize is the staple food crop and is often used as an index of food availability in the country. Maize production showed a declining trend between 2004 and 2007, with some improvement in 2008–2009. Life expectancy has declined over the past two decades from 60 years in 1990 to just 45 years in 2005, driven by the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and the impacts of poverty.”
