VISION MISSION

SWAZILAND INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN TRADITIONALMEDICINE, MEDICINAL AND INDIGENOUS FOOD PLANTS (SIRMIP)Prof. P.S. DlaminiDirector - (SIRMIP)VISIONLeadership through excellence in research on traditionalmedicine, medicinal and indigenous food plants.MISSIONThe Institute seeks to serve as Swaziland’s leading institutionfor the design, coordination and execution of multidisciplinaryresearch in traditional medicine, medicinal and indigenouswild edible plants. It strives to combine the expertise ofscientists and Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMPs), witha view to producing plant-derived pharmaceuticals andpromoting the use of traditional medicine in national healthcare. It also seeks to raise general awareness regarding thenutritional value of underutilized indigenous wild edibleplants.OBJECTIVESThe objectives of the Institute are to:Promote ethnobotanical surveys for indigenous noncultivatedfruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants inorder to establish and maintain a database;Document available bioresources and theirtechnological exploitation;Provide a forum for the meeting of researcherson medicinal and food plants with nutritionistsand traditional medical practitioners (TMPs) in anatmosphere of mutual trust and respect;Collect seeds of under-utilized indigenous fruits andvegetables to form a gene bank which could be used tobroaden the food base;Propagate food and medicinal plants in order toconserve biological diversity;Bioassay medicinal and indigenous food plants;Isolate and identify bioactive compounds from plants;Develop isolated compounds into new drugs for thetreatment of common diseases; andOrganize workshops and seminars.EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe Swaziland Institute for Research in Traditional Medicine,Medicinal and Indigenous Food Plants (SIRMIP) continues torespond to the objectives of the University’s strategic plan aswell as to the national agenda on health issues and povertyalleviation. The Institute carries out ethnobotanical surveysand plant propagation studies, and produces seedlings ofindigenous medicinal and food plants at Mafutseni, with theview to transplanting them back to their original habitats and103REPORT OF THE VICE CHANCELLOR