Overview

Rural livelihoods in Mozambique are primarily agriculturally based and climate dependent. Climate shocks will likely increase poverty and malnutrition for rural households, which are not currently resilient enough to withstand the effects of a changing climate. According to the Feed the Future Resilient Agricultural Markets Activity (RAMA) Framework, “Resilient Agricultural Markets Activity encompasses how agriculture affects and is affected by climate change and aligns this integration with food security objectives.” USAID has worked with partners to promote agricultural practices to improve land preparation, soil moisture conservation and crop rotation, as well as the use of improved, drought tolerant certified seeds. Adoption rates, however, remain low. Improving farmers’ awareness and trust in new technologies and access to extension and agricultural services will result in shifts in the farming system, thus improving poor farmer’s resilience to climate change in Mozambique.

Program Description

Feed the Future RAMA - Nacala Corridor is a five-year USAID program that facilitates adoption of good agricultural practices to increase crop yields and resilience to climate change. It increases the availability and quality of agricultural information by bundling extension services and improving the use of IT solutions for on-demand extension and climate and market information. The program is scaling up conservation agriculture and new technologies for mechanization to increase productivity and makes small scale irrigation systems more available. All activities consider the specific needs of both men and women and emphasize empowering women as decision–makers and drivers of production and household nutrition. Local, regional and US-based volunteers are offering technical expertise to the project.

Expected Results

The activity will benefit 40,000 smallholder households; improving management practices on 47,000 hectares (ha), facilitating irrigation for 5,300 ha and increasing incremental sales by 25%. The activity will reach 175,000 people with training and information on climate and resilient agriculture and markets, and will support at least 85 small and medium enterprises to engage in innovative extension models and to market resilient agricultural technologies.