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. Nokuthula 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 dependents.
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, commented: “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 that 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 and build long-term business relationships,” she says.
Similarly, Thobile Shange 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, Thobile’s 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,” she explains.
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 cooperative 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 roll-out 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.
