Family agriculture is predominant in Mozambique

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, through the National Directorate of Agrarian Extension, the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) and FAO hold a National Seminar on public policies for family farming in Mozambique between September 13th and 15th.

This seminar was held in the context of the South-South Cooperation Project "Exchange of experiences and dialogues on public policies for family agriculture in Africa", in partnership with the Governments of Mozambique and Brazil, which aims to provide subsidies for the characterization of family farming in CPLP countries.

The FAOR Assistant, Claudia Pereira, said at the event that "support for family farming in the world is essential for food security, defending the technical training of small farmers".

Pereira also said that "family agriculture is predominant, both in developed countries and in underdeveloped countries for its impact on promoting food security" adding that family farming "is also environmentally sustainable and promotes food balance due to the native cultures and the diversity of products that it places available for communities".

As the farmers voice, the president of the National Union of Farmers (UNAC), Ana Paula, took the opportunity to warn about the risk of large farms that result in the loss of land for family farmers and the aggravation of poverty in rural areas.

"Farmers should be protected because they are the majority in Mozambican society and they feed their families through agriculture," said Ana Paula.

Attended to the seminar agricultural experts, national directors from the different areas of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Ministry of Land and Rural Development, technical specialists from the Government's agrarian sector, including the Chiefs of the Provincial Services of Agricultural Extension of the Provincial Directorates of Agriculture and Food Security (DPASA).

The Brazil-FAO Trilateral South-South Cooperation Project aims to provide subsidies for the characterization of family farming in the CPLP countries. Thus, it intend to subsidize the formulation of strategies to institutionalize national programmes and policies aimed at identifying and supporting family farming in dialogue with government, academic community and civil society in the countries covered.