Climate change in Swaziland is expected to lead to overall warming and drying, with a greater frequency and intensity of droughts as well as floods. Negative impacts will be felt on the agricultural and water sector and are expected to be considerable. Yields of staple food crops such as maize, sorghum and beans are likely to decrease, thereby threatening national food security. Surface flows in rivers and streams are likely to have greater variation, with lower base-flows in the dry season, potentially resulting in water shortages for domestic, industrial and agricultural use. Additionally, groundwater reserves, which are an important source of water for many rural communities, may be reduced as a result of increased rainfall intensity and concomitant increases in surface runoff. These negative impacts of climate change will be exacerbated by baseline conditions of widespread poverty (63% of the population), high unemployment (40%), a high prevalence of HIV (26% of adults), and widespread land degradation as a result of deforestation, alien plant invasions and overstocking of livestock