Mozambique is bordered by the United Republic of Tanzania in the North, in the South by the Republic of South Africa and Kingdom of Eswatini, West by the Republics of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and East by the Indian Ocean. Along the coast there are a several islands (INE, 2017). It has a total area of 78 638 000 hectares with, in 2020, only 7.44% of the total country area cultivated (AQUASTAT).

Agriculture plays a crucial role for socio-economic development of Mozambique. In fact, approximately 80% of the country’s active labour force is involved in agriculture, contributing ~ 7.2% of the total earnings of the country in 2015 (INE, 2016). Most of this sector is composed by smallholder farmers which is a crucial aspect to take into consideration when thinking about the challenges that the country’s agriculture faces.

Mozambique has plentiful land and water resources that provide great potential for the production of a variety of crops, livestock development and industrial growth. The climate variability that causes drought and floods, and high dependence on international water resources as well limited water management infrastructure increases a situation of vulnerability to water shocks.

 Project milestones:

April 2022: WaPOR phase 2 inception workshop in Maputo
November 2022: WaPOR introductory training
May 2023: irrigation assessment tool co-design workshop