Project description
The residents of Mozambique are largely dependent in terms of food supply on what they can grow themselves on a piece of land. Local organisation Codesa helps farming families increase their knowledge about sustainable agriculture. And it seems to be working! Women and men who have received training from Codesa and apply that knowledge usually have a harvest four times larger than before. What is not needed for subsistence they sell in the market. A virtuous circle that improves food security.
Why this project?
Growing a piece of land is a huge challenge in Mozambique. Periods of severe drought and heavy rain alternate. So often the harvest fails due to weather conditions and then many families go hungry. With the right knowledge about agriculture, this is (partly) preventable. For example: soil covered with plant residues during extreme heat is less likely to dry out. Another example: the plough had better be put back in its stable. In Mozambique it is very dry, but when it rains it pours down. In the furrows left by the plough, the dry soil is immediately washed away. Codesa wants to transfer that kind of knowledge to farmers.
Impact
Farmers are not easily convinced because to them this 'new' method feels more like an old one. After all, it means sowing by hand again and leaving the fields full of weeds to prevent soil from being washed away during heavy rains. However, this method bears much fruit - literally and figuratively. Those who apply the new farming knowledge harvest up to 4 times more maize or casava than before. Farmers are encouraged to share the knowledge with each other.
What can we learn?
This programme called 'Conservation Farming' is also called 'Farming God's way' - farming the way God intended. What is true for Mozambique is also true for us. Are we in the Netherlands doing our livestock and farming the way God intended?
