Farmer explaining the practice to visitors

Conservation Agriculture in Mozambique has been an increasingly accepted practice by the agrarian producers who see in this method a way of increasing productivity with low production costs and greater protection of the soil.
 

From the field

Through this practice the farmer José Sixpene Macorreia, in a few time, noticed a significant increase in his field, becoming a leader in sharing agricultural practices of conservation agriculture in Marera, Macate district, where he lives.

It was in 2006 that Macorreia began the approach of conservation agriculture in an area of 2 hectares producing maize, bush and sorghum crops through in-line sowing and crop rotation.

From this new practice, the small farmer produces twice the amount he use to get in conventional farming. Because of the positive results, Macorreia regularly receives farmers on his farm who appreciate his fields and seek to learn the practice.

The farmer says that he does not lack power to work and increase his area of production despite the effort that this practice requires.
"I think conservation farming is better. In a small land portion it is possible to get a lot of production. But it is a technique that requires a lot of financial aid for the purchase of agricultural inputs and pesticides, "says the farmer, adding that "he still cultivates small areas because of financial difficulties and it would be good if the government and the partners could provide some support."

The Seminar

To promote this practice, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Austrian Development Cooperation (CAD) and the Norwegian Embassy, through the PROMAC project, implemented by CLUSA in Manica , held a Seminar on Conservation Agriculture in the country to raise awareness among farmers about the importance of this type of agriculture for food security and to reduce the adverse effects of climate change by sharing knowledge and experiences in the country and In the southern region of Africa.

The event was attended by technicians from the districts and extension agents throughout the country, representatives of the Institute of Agricultural Research of Mozambique (IIAM), the National Platform for Conservation Agriculture and the Norwegian Embassy through CLUSA, including farmers associations, conservation agriculture practitioners and specialists from countries such as Zimbabwe and Swaziland.

During the opening of the event, the Governor of the Province of Manica, Alberto Mondlane, highlighted the "need to eradicate hunger", stressing that "the strategy is to increase production and productivity."

Mondlane emphasized that "this is a great challenge that Mozambicans have, because it is important to know how to combine the actions of conservation agriculture with the needs of production, good productivity and quality of products."
For the FAO Representative in Mozambique, Castro Camarada, "the country has registered a remarkable effort to promote conservation agriculture and this event intends to complement and collaborate with the efforts of the National Platform for Conservation Agriculture, a public-private partnership promoted by many organizations supporting the development of agriculture in Mozambique. "

Castro Camarada also referred to the "growing population increase estimated at 2.4 Billion by 2050 in África", hence the need for the continent, where 80% of the population lives on the basis of agriculture, "to encourage agricultural practices that promote the rational use of land and water "with all possible support.

The seminar also included field visits to Vanduzi and Bandula, where participants were able to intervene with the small farmers practicing conservation agriculture in Manica.

Representing the Austrian Cooperation for Development in Mozambique, Eva Kohl stated that "this seminar will relaunch the discussion on Conservation Agriculture, given the importance of this technology as a mitigation measure of the climate change effects, especially the prolonged droughts in the southern and central areas of Mozambique, severely hampering the food security of rural producers families who face problems of low incomes, impoverished soils and lack of capital. "

National Platform for Conservation Agriculture

The National Platform for Conservation Agriculture was created in 2015, involving several public and private agencies with the aim of boosting research in the area, documenting the research and extension work of Conservation Agriculture and developing policies for the massification of this initiative promoted by USAID in the framework of the creation of a platform for research and technology transfer.

According to the platform's researcher and researcher in the soil fertility area at IIAM, Ricardo Maria, "the seminar served to gather various experiences that will contribute to the systematization of information, creation of databases and publications related to the area of agriculture Of conservation ".

Maria said that this initiative will help the platform to integrate new components, new technologies and realize how farmers act in the area. He added that "the field day served to reap the weaknesses of the approaches used in conservation agriculture in order to realize what methodologies we can use in the next steps."