Mozambique is located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Mozambique Channel, with South Africa to its south and Tanzania to its north. The country’s total land area is 799,380 sq km. In comparison, it is slightly larger than Pakistan, and twice the size of the state of California in the U.S. Its climate is tropical to subtropical. Of the total land area, only five percent is utilized for cultivated crops, while no measurable amount of the total land supports permanent crops such as fruit- and nut-bearing trees. The population of Mozambique is approximately 21.7 million, with 81 percent of the labor force involved in agriculture. Mozambique gained its independence in 1975, but being financially deficient, was one of the poorest countries in the region. In 1987, the government established a series of macro-economic reforms designed to stabilize the economy. These steps, combined with donor assistance and political stability, have led to dramatic improvements in the country's growth rate. As of 2008, the GDP for Mozambique was $19 billion, with an ongoing growth rate of about seven percent. Yet, with these successes, 70 percent of the population continues to live in poverty. Mozambique’s agriculture sector represents 24 percent of GDP, with primary exports of cashews, cotton and sugar. Other agricultural products include tea, cassava, maize, coconuts, sisal, citrus, tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers, beef and poultry. The East and Southern Africa Division is responsible for IFDC activities in Mozambique.
Current IFDC Projects in Mozambique
- Agricultural Input Market Strengthening (AIMS), 2009-2012
AIMS promotes private sector investment in agro-input technologies and marketing in Mozambique. The project is improving farmers’ access to technologies through competitive markets and dealer networks. Key components are business development and capacity building, association building, technology transfer and extension support, increased production of seeds and improved policy environments.
DONOR: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Maize Intensification in Mozambique (MIM), 2008-ongoing
The MIM project assists smallholder farmers in increasing maize production through better access to quality agro-inputs and specialized training programs. MIM strengthens the entire maize value chain by building linkages between farmers and agro-input suppliers, maize buyers, NGOs, farmer organizations and agricultural extension services. The project utilizes farmer cluster formation and demonstration fields to promote improved agricultural technologies by demonstrating innovative fertilizer techniques and uses.
DONORS: International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI), International Potash Institute (IPI)
- Mozambique Agro-Dealer Development (MADD), 2009-2012
The MADD project builds on the achievements of the AIMS project, which promotes private sector investment in agro-input technologies and improves farmers’ access to these technologies through competitive markets and stronger dealer networks. Building on these efforts, MADD is strengthening and expanding dealer networks in the Manica and Tete provinces of central Mozambique.
DONOR: Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
- Savings, Subsidies and Sustainable Food Security, 2009-2013
This field experiment in Mozambique studies: the impact of fertilizer subsidies; the interaction of fertilizer subsidies and savings; and the impact of savings facilities and savings matches. Key assessments include farm output, household consumption and other household indicators (e.g., nutrition, health, child schooling) in the short- and long-term resulting from subsidies, savings and savings matches. The effort is a collaboration of IFDC, the BASIS Assets and Market Access Collaborative Research Support Program (University of Wisconsin) and the University of Michigan.
DONOR: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Recent IFDC Projects in Mozambique
- Accelerating Agribusiness in Africa – Bridge (AAA-Bridge), 2011-2012
The AAA-Bridge project was an extension of Strategic Alliance for Agricultural Development in Africa (SAADA-B) activities. The objective of AAA-Bridge was to expand IFDC activities and best practices developed in West Africa, such as the Competitive Agricultural Systems and Enterprises (CASE) solution, Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), fertilizer deep placement (FDP), fertilizer resource assessments and market information systems (MIS), into other regions of Africa. Specifically, this project expansion was designed to replicate the CASE approach and other aspects of the IFDC agribusiness model in select countries of eastern and southern Africa.
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Mozambique Voucher Program, 2009-2011
In September 2009, IFDC received a grant from the European Union through FAO to assist the Government of Mozambique in the implementation of a fertilizer/seed voucher program pilot. The program initially targeted 25,000 maize and rice farmers. With the successful completion of the pilot, up-scaling of the program to reach a much larger percentage of Mozambique’s total maize and rice farmers was expected. Upon the request of FAO, IFDC implemented an additional voucher program in Mozambique from 2010 to 2011, funded by the European Union.
DONOR: European Union
- Strengthening Trade at the Regional Level in Agricultural Inputs in Africa (STAR), 2007-2010
The STAR project promoted food security and agricultural growth through improved regional trade along eastern and southern Africa’s entire agricultural vale chain. The project improved market access for agro-dealers and smallholder farmers. This included better access to quality inputs and advanced technologies along with improved market linkages, local and regional agricultural policy reforms and greater involvement of agricultural enterprises.
DONOR: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
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Mozambique Information
Articles
An IFDC Core Competency: Fertilizer Voucher Programs (Taken from IFDC Report Volume 36, No.1)
IFDC and Government of Mozambique Partner to Improve Food Security (Taken from IFDC Report Volume 36, No.1)
An IFDC Core Competency: Agro-Dealer Development (Taken from IFDC Report Volume 35, No.3)
Farmer Savings and Sustainable Food Security in Mozambique (Taken from IFDC Report Volume 35, No.2 in English and French)
Mozambique Videos
Mozambique and IFDC – Working Together to Improve Agriculture and Lives