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Home | Where we work | Mozambique | Agriculture and food security
  • Farmer Field Schools - Village Organisation in Mozambique.
    AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
  • In Cabo Delgado, AKF currently supports 123 village development organisations (VDOs) on campaigns and projects that address various problems.
    AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
  • With funding from USDA, AKF is implementing MozaCajú's agricultural extension efforts by training smallholder cashew farmers in Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Zambezia on improved production methods (photo: grafting), improving their access to yield-promoting inputs, and linking them with processing and export facilities.
    AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
  • The northernmost provinces of Mozambique have some of the highest poverty rates in the country. AKF aims to catalyse improvements in food security and livelihoods for rural populations through production-related inputs in agriculture, livestock and handicrafts and through market integration of producers for selected value chains.
    AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
  • Moringa producer supported by AKF in Mozambique.
    AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
Agriculture and food security

Despite rapid economic growth in recent years, the province of Cabo Delgado has lagged behind the rest of Mozambique and remains the country’s poorest province, heavily reliant on agriculture and extremely vulnerable to climatic shocks and food price fluctuations.  Furthermore, local people are currently not well prepared for the rapid transformation that will come with the recent discoveries of large deposits of offshore oil and gas.

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Community-based savings groups (CBSGs) in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique.
AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
Related Information
Learn more on CBSGs
Overview
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) began operations in Cabo Delgado in 2002, in response to a request from the Government of Mozambique to assist the marginalised populations in this region.  AKF’s range of integrated rural development projects currently reach over 25,000 people in six districts of Cabo Delgado.
In order to support local communities take advantage of the emerging opportunities and ensure more equitable development, AKF has developed a new five year strategy that focuses on:
  • Skills building and training that helps village development organisations (VDOs) secure funding and technical support for the implementation of projects at the community level;
  • Increasing household incomes and improving food security by increasing the diversity and productivity of cash and staple food crops;
  • Reducing households’ dependence on agriculture by promoting enterprise and employment, particularly in the handicrafts sector, through support to an artisans’ association; and
  • Improving households’ financial management by establishing community-based savings groups (CBSGs) that reduce the impact of unpredictable income flows and help meet financial needs
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In Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, AKF currently supports 123 village development organisations (VDOs) on campaigns and projects that address various problems.
AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
Participatory governance
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is committed to putting local communities at the centre of its work.  This helps to make interventions directly relevant to local people and contributes to long-term sustainability.  In Cabo Delgado, AKF currently supports 123 village development organisations (VDOs) on campaigns and projects that address various problems.
For example, VDOs and AKF are promoting the active engagement of parents in children’s education, coordinating community repair of small tertiary roads, and promoting opportunities for women to volunteer as community health workers. In the agriculture sector, VDOs have promoted the adoption of Conservation Agriculture (CA) techniques and promote opportunities for women in production and marketing.            
 
To date, VDOs have obtained approval and funding from local government for around 70 community-led proposals, with priorities including access to agricultural inputs (seeds and fertiliser), small irrigation schemes and improved access to markets.
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As part of the Coastal Rural Support Programme in Mozambique, farmers receive business and technical training on ways to expand farming and improve soil conservation, as well as how to better market their crops.
Natural Resources Management (NRM)

Smallholder farmers in Cabo Delgado often lack the knowledge, information, and resources that would help improve their food security and increase their incomes from agriculture.  In response, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) implements activities that help farmers increase production of crops like sesame, maize and horticulture, and engage more successfully with market players.

AKF brings farmers together in Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) so that they can test new production, harvesting, and storage techniques, and build linkages with local markets. These activities currently reach almost 14,000 farmers and are funded by the Government of Canada and the Ford Foundation.

In order to connect local producers to national and international markets, AKF has supported over 100 producer associations arrange bulk purchases of inputs and bulk sales of produce, and has facilitated several contracts with international buyers.  These interventions help farmers secure good prices for improved quality products.

With funding from USDA, AKF is linking cashew farmers in Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Zambezia with processing and export facilities, and helping create brand recognition for Mozambican cashew among select global retailers such as Whole Foods.  

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