Women-led enterprises strengthen climate resilience in iSimangaliso communities in KZN

Across northern KwaZulu-Natal, women living in and around the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site are emerging as powerful agents of change. Through the launch of their own climate-smart businesses, they are restoring their local ecosystems and strengthening food security in one of South Africa’s most vulnerable regions.

One such entrepreneur is 21-year-old Nokuthula Msweli, founder of Thule’s Poultry Farm in KwaDapha. She launched her broiler chicken farming enterprise with an innovative ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approach, cultivating worms as an organic and affordable feed alternative. Her business now provides a vital protein source to the local community, employs two people and supports 14 dependants.

Nokuthula was encouraged to launch her enterprise through the support of the iSimangaliso Marine Protected Area (MPA) and EbA Project. “Being part of the programme has been transformative,” she says. “It enabled me to refine my strategy, improve efficiency and expand my market reach.”

The project is spearheaded by leading South African conservation organisation WILDTRUST, in partnership with Indalo Inclusive, a non-profit organisation that promotes social, green, inclusive and responsible entrepreneurship across the country.

Together, they are supporting women from KwaDapha, Mabibi, eNkovukeni, KwaZibi and KwaSokhulu through leadership development, business mentorship and tailored coaching – enabling women to strengthen their economic independence while doing their part to address the country’s climate change vulnerabilities.

So far, five entrepreneurs have successfully graduated from the Indalovator programme and transitioned into the Indalogrow phase. Of these, 60% are women-led businesses.

Nozi Mbongwa, senior project manager at WILDTRUST, comments: “Through this project, women are being equipped with the skills, confidence and support needed to build resilient, environmentally sustainable enterprises rooted in their local contexts.”

This approach has already produced a growing number of inspiring success stories. Through the work of Indalo Inclusive, women have gained practical skills to launch and formalise enterprise initiatives, as well as received support in financial planning and EbA guidance, ensuring their businesses are both climate-resilient and environmentally responsible.

Entrepreneur Nosihle Ngubane has established a fast-growing enterprise specialising in the sourcing, packaging and delivery of eggs to local e-tailers, wholesalers and individual consumers around eNkovukeni. “With the help of WILDTRUST and Indalo Inclusive, I have been able to grow my operations [Ashelelayo Trading] and build long-term business relationships,” she says.

Similarly, Thobile Shange (main image) from KwaZibi, founder of Liyana Layer Farm, has combined academic insight with practical innovation. Her enterprise produces organic, free-range eggs using invasive aquatic plants as feed – simultaneously addressing environmental degradation and food insecurity.

Holding a master’s degree in Agriculture and a postgraduate diploma in Project Management, her work demonstrates how women-led enterprises can align climate adaptation with local economic development. “I realised that expensive feed was a major challenge, so I explored natural alternatives that also help address climate change.”

Women’s leadership is also strengthening conservation and co-management efforts along the coast. The WILDTRUST Small-Scale Fishers and MPA Project, implemented under the broader iSimangaliso MPA EbA Project umbrella, aims to foster more equitable and co-operative relationships between MPAs and the rural fishers who depend on coastal resources for food security and livelihoods.

Jane Mthembu (56) from KwaDapha has rediscovered stability and purpose in her role as a small-scale fisher (SSF) monitor: a community-based liaison who supports sustainable fishing, co-management, monitoring and communication between fishers and authorities.

A widow and mother of five, Jane was originally appointed as an SSF monitor in the 1990s, before the programme ended abruptly. After years of insecurity and short-term contracts, the renewed and structured SSF and MPA initiative has finally brought her long-awaited stability and renewed hope for the future.

Together, these stories underscore a powerful message: When women are supported with the right skills, resources and opportunities, they drive lasting benefits for their families, communities and ecosystems.

The successful rollout of this initiative was made possible through the generous support of ICONIQ Ocean Co-Lab, Oceans 5 and the Blue Action Fund. Together with WILDTRUST and its partners, their contributions mark a significant step toward empowering women in vulnerable communities while restoring natural ecosystems and building resilience to climate change.