Faculty of Consumer Sciences

Community Service

Connecting knowledge, innovation and professional expertise with communities, institutions and industry for meaningful impact and sustainable development.

Engagement & Impact

Knowledge beyond the classroom.

The Faculty of Consumer Sciences is committed to establishing linkages and collaboration with national and international academic and research institutions to advance knowledge for sustainable development.

The Faculty also offers short-term training in various areas of Consumer Sciences and provides professional consultancies, creating opportunities for students and staff to apply their knowledge in real-world settings.

Community Activities

Learning through participation.

Faculty students and staff participate in initiatives that connect academic learning with entrepreneurship, culture, agriculture and community development.

2023

Youth Engagement in Agriculture Summit

Students in Level III and Mr Muzi Dlamini from the Department attended a summit on Youth Engagement in Agriculture held on 22 and 23 June 2023 at Mavuvo Trade Fair Grounds. The summit was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Students exhibited various products produced during their practicals, showcasing what they had learnt and their potential in entrepreneurship. The event was attended by the Prime Minister, banks and other dignitaries from various organisations.

2019

SADC Fashion Festival

Seven students from the Faculty of Consumer Sciences, through the Textiles and Apparel Design Department, participated in the SADC Fashion Festival hosted by the Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture on 31 August 2019.

The event, themed “It’s my culture”, was held at the Happy Valley Hotel in Ezulwini.

Professional Development

Workshops & Seminars

Faculty members participate in workshops, stakeholder engagements and professional training that strengthen teaching, research, industry collaboration and graduate employability.

Maternal Nutrition

Mr S. Z. Dlamini attended a one-day workshop on Maternal Nutrition on 27 April 2023 at United Nations House in Mbabane. The workshop was organised by UNICEF and SADC.

Entrepreneurship Education

Dr. J. S. Shelembe attended a one-day workshop on Entrepreneurship Education at the Science and Technology Park on 27 March 2023. The workshop was organised by the Lutfo Foundation and Science and Technology Park.

Mobile Lab for Food Testing

Dr. J. Shelembe and Mr. Muzi Dlamini attended a two-day stakeholders' workshop on Mobile Lab for Food Testing, organised by CSIR and the Royal Science and Technology Park at Happy Valley Motel on 28–29 March 2023.

UNESWA–RSTP Collaboration Project

Dr T. P. Nkambule, together with other committee members of the UNESWA–RSTP collaboration project, attended a stakeholder validation workshop of the final report for small-scale laboratories at the RSTP on 19 August 2022.

Training on Employability

During March 2022, members of the Food and Nutrition Sciences Department attended training on employability at Bethel Court. The training contributed to the development of an Employability Strategy for UNESWA aimed at increasing the employability of graduates.

Nutrition Assessment Validation Workshop

In March 2022, a workshop facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation was held at Sibane Hotel in Ezulwini. Discussions and presentations focused on Food Loss Assessment in the Food Chain and Nutrition and Trade Assessment.

Dr. T. P. Nkambule presented a study focusing on the situation analysis of nutrition policy in Eswatini and related COVID-19 impacts.

RUFORUM Agribusiness Clinic

The Faculty of Consumer Sciences and Faculty of Agriculture hosted a five-day Agribusiness Clinic from 16–20 March 2020, sponsored by the Mastercard Foundation through RUFORUM.

The programme addressed entrepreneurial mindset, entrepreneurial environments, personal finance, financial literacy, mental barriers to youth entrepreneurship and business opportunity identification.

Agribusiness Fair

The Faculty participated in the 2019 Agribusiness Fair held from 1–3 October 2019. Departments showcased products produced during practical sessions, including packaged food products, household products and print designs.

Curriculum Co-development for Sustainable Clothing and Textile

One lecturer from Textiles and Apparel Design attended a workshop on Curriculum Co-development for Sustainable Clothing and Textile Undergraduate Courses hosted by the South African Association for Family Ecology and Consumer Science (SAAFECS) and the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) on 7 August 2019 at the University of Pretoria.

Funding & Awards

$50K

RUFORUM Grant Award

Building opportunities for innovation.

A project proposal to establish an Agro-processing Business Incubation Centre was awarded a grant of USD 50,000.00 by RUFORUM.

The proposal was developed by the Department of Food and Nutrition Sciences in collaboration with the Faculty of Agriculture, SEDCO, ENACTUS and FESBC (Federation of Swazi Business Community).

The objectives include forming start-up companies among students for value addition to agricultural produce, linking start-ups to potential markets and suppliers of equipment and raw materials, and supporting product development through resources and training.

Fifty percent of the grant was released, with implementation of the project planned to commence.

Academic Areas

Food and Nutrition Sciences, Consumer Science Education and Textiles & Apparel Design.

Students Trained

Students participated in the RUFORUM Agribusiness Clinic alongside staff from the two Faculties.

Staff Participants

Staff members participated in the Agribusiness Clinic focused on entrepreneurship and innovation.

Collaboration

Links with Institutions & Organisations

The Faculty works with government, research, standards, industry and development organisations to strengthen knowledge transfer, research infrastructure and professional practice.

Eswatini Standards Authority (SWASA)

One lecturer representing the Food and Nutrition Sciences Department is a member of the Impartiality Committee in the Eswatini Standards Authority.

The committee assists in developing food-related standard policies, particularly those relating to food hygiene and food safety, as well as auditing and certification for management systems.

Standards developed include:

Guidelines for the Design of Control Measures for Street-Vended Foods.
Food Safety Management Systems – Requirements for any organisation in the food chain.
Poultry Abattoirs – Hygiene requirements.
Code of hygiene practice for the transport of food in bulk and semi-packed food.
Standard for general principles of food hygiene.
Guidelines for inspection and grading of food premises.

Two staff members from the Food and Nutrition Sciences Department also worked with the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders to implement and launch the Eswatini Food Composition Table.

Royal Science & Technology Park

One staff member represented the Faculty in the Taiwan Strategic Partnership Tour: the Advancement Through Technology initiative organised by RSTP.

A Faculty representative is also working with other UNESWA departments to address equipment needs for research purposes at the RSTP Biotechnology Park.

This includes estimating expected usage by staff and postgraduate students to inform planning of laboratory size and equipment requirements.

NBBI Training Network Consortium

One staff member from the Food and Nutrition Sciences Department participates in the NBBI Training Network Consortium.

The network brings together academics from the sub-Saharan region and industrial experts in food production to explore platforms for increasing production of new and value-added foods.

The project aims to bridge academia and industry by generating a new generation of skilled biotechnologists with technical knowledge of food fermentation and large-scale production of fermented foods.

The exploration of new microorganisms will provide opportunities for breakthrough developments in food production, create new avenues for research and applications, and contribute to innovation in the food industry.