Workshop promotes technology transfer in agriculture, food and forestry sectors between Mozambique and Portugal
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Tuesday (02/06) participated in a workshop on the "Collaboration between Mozambique and Portugal in the agriculture, food and forestry sectors". The workshop brought together representatives of the United Nations agencies and the Government of Mozambique as well as members of civil society, academia, and the private sector from both countries in Mozambique's capital, Maputo.
The purpose of the event, which was held within the scope of the SKAN Platform – Sharing Knowledge Agrifood Networks – was to disseminate joint research initiatives as well as knowledge and technology transfer in the agriculture, food and forestry sectors. "These sectors", FAO Country Representative, Castro Camarada, said in his opening remarks, "are crucial for the economic development of Mozambique for the weight they have on the national Gross Domestic Product and the jobs they create, especially if we contemplate the linked subsectors". Development in these areas, Camarada added, "is fundamental for food security and nutrition and poverty alleviation".
By promoting knowledge and technology-sharing between Europe, Africa and Latin America, the SKAN Platform, which is an initiative of the European Commission and the Government of Portugal, enhances economic and social development in emergent countries of the tropics. "Technology and knowledge shall create wealth, thus the importance of such a platform", the President of the Association for Innovation and Business Development (Inovisa), Luís Mira da Silva, said at the event.
Improving collaboration between Mozambique and Portugal
With the Platform, the organizing committee – comprised of the Institute of Agricultural Research of Mozambique (IIAM), the Tropical Research Institute (IICT), Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), FAO and Inovisa – aims to strengthen the link between the scientific and business millieus, creating sustainability through the capacity building of local agents and enhancing the application of existing resources like other networks and local platforms. "In Mozambique, we have already had the Platform for Agricultural Research and innovation in Mozambique (PIAIT) which aimed to make technologies useful and accessible for farmers. This has resulted in partnerships and coordination, an increase in the availability of technologies and the development of technology packs", the Technical Director of the IIAM Directorate of Training, Documentation and Technology Transfer, Feliciano Mazuze, said.
According to the Ambassador of Portugal to Mozambique, José Augusto Duarte, the SKAN Platform has the potential to benefit both parties [Mozambique and Portugal]. "Many Portuguese people have make big investments in the focus areas of the Platform, helping to boost Mozambican production and bringing resources into the country." The Portuguese Ambassador said that over 90 percent of Portugal's imports from Mozambique are agricultural products. "However, trade between both countries is still below the intended level and there is still much space for improvement."
More than 80 percent of the Mozambican population practices agriculture as their main economic activity, the Inspector General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MASA), Ilídio Miguel, said. In this context, the objectives of the new government are "to accelerate agricultural production, increase the farmers' incomes and boost the development of the regions with the highest agrarian potential".These address some of the global challenges that justify the need for the SKAN Platform, such as higher agricultural productivity and food security.
In a round table, different actors presented their perspectives on the importance of international knowledge- and technology-sharing networks in the development of the agriculture, food and forestry sectors, contributing to one of the main objectives of the event: to begin discussions on developing new innovation projects in Portuguese-speaking countries, with a special focus on the collaboration between Mozambique and Portugal.