Representatives from FAO, WFP, Brazil Embassy & Government

Between 20 and 21 March, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) in partnership with the Government of Mozambique, met in a consultation seminar on The Purchase from Africans for Africa (PAA África), a pilot project supported by the Government of Brazil and the United Kingdom.

This programme links small farmers to schools and promotes access to education, food diversity, healthier eating habits and behavioural changes for school-age children and, seeks to increase farmers' market access and income opportunities.

The seminar, which brought together small producers, agricultural technicians from many provinces, FAO and WFP experts, civil society representatives and government officials, brought to the participants the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and share important lessons learned during the pilot phase of the PAA Africa, which in the future will help to develop efficient public policies on market access by small farmers.

Attended to the event representatives from the Ministries of Education and Human Development (MINEDH) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MASA), involved in the implementation of the National School Feeding Programme (PRONAE), a pilot project of the Mozambican government, developed in 12 schools in the provinces of Tete, Gaza, Manica and Nampula, which provides for the local and diversified purchase of food, in order to respond to school feeding priorities.

FAO and WFP agreed on support to Mozambican government

During the seminar, FAO and WFP agreed on their commitment to continue supporting the Mozambican government in implementing this platform through technical assistance, learning processes including trainings.

For the FAO Interim Representative, Walter De Oliveira, "The PAA Africa is an initiative that should help a lot in the connection between the small farmers and the access to the markets".

De Oliveira also said that "they recognize that there are still many challenges and these include that MINEDH can identify and use existing tools in the country to expand this programme to other provinces and support farmers in accessing the market to get them out of subsistence condition where the majority lives. "

WFP Deputy Director Ute Meier said that "the PAA Africa pilot programme has enabled to establish good practices, acquire success stories and draw many lessons in the process of consolidating and expanding PRONAE using diversified food locally produced".

Meier also said she hopes that "through this meeting we could learn more about PAA lessons in Mozambique, take tools to support the design of operational models for the operational framework of PRONAE and study the next steps together with the government of Mozambique."

PAA Africa Lessons in Mozambique

According to the FAO coordinator for PAA Africa, Israel Klug, "one of the great lessons that can be learned from PAA Africa in Mozambique" is the convergence of agriculture and education activities."

Klug noted that "trough the PAA Africa there have been farmers associations who have been supported from the first phase to become more professional in the farming and commercialization of vegetables which are same associations that sell to the 28 schools of PAA África in Tete. If this work had not been done the purchases of the PAA Africa would not be possible" he said.

In turn, Felicidade Panguene, FAO's focal point for the programme, said that "assistance in farming techniques provided to farmers under the PAA Africa contributed to improving the production and productivity of farmers by helping them to have more surpluses to sell to schools and thus increase their incomes.”

Satisfied Beneficiaries

Helena Dzico, a small producer belonging to a farmer women's association in Changara, Tete province, "Future Women of Carata", is one of the beneficiaries of PAA Africa in Mozambique and she is pleased with the initiative.

"Before the programme we use to cultivate few crops but since we had the support of the partners we are increasing the areas. We did not know how to use the products after harvest but now we already have the schools to distribute. We also learned to make a business plan because we did not control sales before. Now I have enough income to help me pay for my son's school who has already finished grade twelve, "said the farmer.

Regino Jalone is the president of Kuchinga association in the district of Cahora Bassa. The association begun with only 12 members but with the support of PAA Africa now has 24 members.

"At first we started working as a group of farmers working lazily because we had nowhere to sell the products. With PAA Africa, new markets began to emerge and we began to have the idea of ​​increasing production areas because we already have schools buying our products, "he said.

 PAA Africa focus

The PAA in Mozambique started in 2012 and ends its second phase in June this year. The programme covers about 28 schools, benefiting more than 15,000 pupils with products supplied by about 672 farmers in the province of Tete, precisely in the Angónia, Changara and Cahora-Bassa districts.

It is expected that after this phase, the programme will continue through the Mozambican government and that the learned lessons will be adapted to national needs.

This is a programme that falls within the scope of the Sustainable Development Objectives (SDGs) by 2030, especially in the areas of food security to eradicate poverty (Goal 1), eradicate hunger (Goal 2) through partnerships for the implementation of the objectives (Goal 17).