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Program Snapshot: Mozambique
Students trained by Matilde preparing fast compost to improve the quality of the soil.
The core Farmer-to-Farmer Program (F2F) program in Mozambique focuses on horticulture and legume crops, complementing Feed the Future (FTF) investments in the country. USAID/Mozambique has chosen to implement its second wave of FTF programming through two complementary F2F associate awards, drawing on the successful model of volunteer technical assistance CNFA has demonstrated in implementing its core F2F activity over two five-year program cycles (FY09-13, FY14-18).
The $16 million FTF Mozambique Climate Smart Agricultural Activity – Beira Corridor is implemented by Land O’Lakes and aims to equitably increase agricultural productivity and climate resilience by increasing adoption of CSA techniques and practices. Its sister program, FTF Mozambique Climate Smart Agricultural Activity – Nacala Corridor is implemented by Winrock to support local producers to increase productivity and profitability while increasing resilience to climate change. While the two activities operate in different regions, they follow a similar approach, including extensive use of US volunteers to provide technical assistance to beneficiaries and host organizations.
The core F2F program in Mozambique also provides CSA technical assistance. Volunteer Matilde D’Urzo, a soil fertility specialist from Indiana, worked with agricultural training center Centro de Formacao Agro-Pecularia de Siloe to improve soil quality. Matilde provided the center with trainings on how to prepare compost and organic fertilizers, how to apply mulch to vegetable beds and how to increase production through intensification and diversification of crops (soil management). As a result of Matilde’s trainings, the center increased the number of production cycles per year, more than doubling vegetable production and lowering input costs by 33% over the first year. When asked how new soil management techniques have changed the center’s agricultural potential, Jose Barreras Marin, the head of the center stated, “Improved soil management has helped us decrease our need of another precious resource – water. We have now been able to increase biomass in our soil, which improves water retention and makes us less dependent on irrigation.”
Implementer: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA)
Timeline: FY14-18
Budget: $2.5 million
# of Volunteers: 130
Areas of Focus: Horticulture, Legumes