Mozambique, a Portuguese colony for over 400 years, was among the last African countries to become independent in 1975. Following emancipation the country was ravaged by a long and bloody civil war, that caused one million casualties and almost entirely destroyed the infrastructures and the national economy. At present, the country is still suffering from the effects of the debt crisis of 2016. Notwithstanding the economic growth in recent years, Mozambique is still very low ranked in the Human Development Index, sitting at the 182th place among 188 countries (UNDP, 2016). Nearly three quarters of the economically active population are employed in small-scale farming activities.
The Province of Zambezia has about 8,000,000 arable land hectares of which only 18% is currently in use, and shows a huge potential for diversified agricultural production. In addition, farming activities are mainly providing uncertain subsistence to people and are not very diversified due to use of inadequate inputs and poor technical skills. Post-harvest processes are also underdeveloped and ineffective and the farmers’ resilience to shocks and ability to manage the risk of disasters are still reduced. The project will be implemented in two districts lying in the Southern part of the Province, Morrumbala and Nicoadala.
The project is characterized by innovative elements related to the following actions:
- Promoting innovative farming techniques such as Syntropic Agriculture – Successional Agro- forestry Systems (SAFs) by providing materials and tools, training, creation of agroforestry nurseries and technical assistance to implementation.
- Valorization of local products, combining the launch of effective preservation and processing systems with the introduction of enhanced promotion and marketing strategies.
The projects intends to contribute to strengthen the resilience capacity of vulnerable people in the South-West of Zambezia, affected by climate change phenomena, to improve and ensure the self-subsistence capacities of farmers in the districts of Morrumbala and Nicoadala within 18 months.
3,952 producers (1,899 men and 2,053 women), and 19,760 members of their families.
Expected results
R1. Enhanced farm production in the districts of Morrumbala and Nicoadala, through the introduction of improved farm techniques and seeds, and facilitated access to water supplies;
R2. Diversification of farm production for 440 farmers in the two concerned districts, through the improvement of fishing and fish culture, reinforcement of beekeeping, and the introduction of Successional Agro- forestry Systems (SAFS);
R2. Enhanced preservation, processing and marketing of farm produce through the adoption of marketing strategies;
R4. Reinforcement of local farmers’ capacity to manage the risks related to natural disasters and weather shocks caused by climate change.