Drought Recovery in Mozambique
The sweet potato is a major component of Oxfam's strategy to improve food security and health in Mozambique by increasing vitamin A intake in the diet of vulnerable rural families.
by Leonard Maveneka
Mozambique, still recovering from devastating floods in 2000, has been hard hit by the drought now sweeping through most southern African countries. The combined impact of the floods and the drought has created a situation of acute food insecurity for most of its people.
An evaluation of the current drought's impact on southern Mozambique was carried out by the National Institute of Disaster Management and international partners (such as the World Food Program and the European Union) in March. It estimated that roughly 60,000 families were facing severe food shortages and more than 60 percent of crops had failed. There was therefore a great need for assistance in terms of food and inputs – seed and fertilisers – for the next planting season.
The food security situation and the potential for recovery have been further compromised by a shortage of draught power, lack of rural extension services and access to credit, as well as the shortage of seed reserves and tools. However evidence suggests that in many areas where traditional crops of maize and beans failed due to the drought, new varieties of sweet potato and cassava have survived and are forming the basis for food security. Apart from being drought resistant, the new varieties of sweet potatoes are also rich in vitamin A.
The Association of Agriculture and Livestock Technicians (ATAP), an Oxfam America partner, has embarked on a major programme to supply and promote improved varieties of sweet potato and cassava to households in three southern districts of Mozambique – Magude and Matutuine (Maputo Province) and Chibuto (Gaza Province). The program is part of Oxfam’s strategy to improve food security and health by increasing vitamin A intake in the diet of vulnerable rural families.
Under the program, cuttings of sweet potato and cassava will be distributed to families, who will also receive training and technical support. Several small farmers' associations will make their fields available for the growth of the new varieties. This will facilitate the distribution of the varieties to members and to the community.
The project is expected to benefit some 15,000 families and will pay particular attention to women, who account for about 65 percent of farmers in the districts. Although the short term objective of the project will be drought mitigation, it also has a long term impact of reducing the vulnerability of households to the vagaries of the weather, while at the same time improving their nutritional status by providing a vitamin A enriched diet. Other benefits of the new potato variety are that it is cultivated all year round, requires little manual labour and was traditionally cultivated by the people.
The program also has an HIV/AIDS awareness component to it, which is part of a strategy to mitigate the impact of the disease. The incidence of HIV/AIDS infection in Mozambique is alarming and is estimated at around 16 percent of the sexually active population. The need to tackle HIV/AIDS in this program comes from the realisation that the disease is both a cause and a consequence of food insecurity.
HIV/AIDS leads to reduced agricultural productivity and income and to increased medical expenses, which in turn result in reduced capacity within communities to respond to crises. Food insecurity often leads to labor migration with the attendant high risk behavior. Where food and nutrition can play an important role in prevention, care and mitigation activities in HIV/AIDS-impacted communities, economic hardships due to food shortages have further complicated the situation.
The aim of this project component will be to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and mitigate the impact of the pandemic by creating better livelihood opportunities for communities. This would lead to an improvement in health and assist in the prevention of HIV/AIDS and malnutrition-related deaths.
The sweet potato and the improved cassava varieties are low labor crops and are therefore particularly appropriate for families living with HIV/AIDS where labour availability is often compromised but at the same time where nutritious crops should be a priority.
Through its partners, Oxfam has also launched drought mitigation programs in other parts of the country. The Manica Peasants Union, UCAMA, has embarked on a project in the Macossa District of Manica Province which will assist some 700 families to diversify their agricultural production. The project will distribute drought resistant seeds and tools as well as provide training to farmers on the best agricultural practises. The project will also support the establishment of irrigation systems in four communities in order to diversify production and improve the nutrition levels and income of local communities.
Oxfam will also participate in a project to provide veterinary assistance to cattle farmers. The project will cover nine districts and will aim to ensure that cattle distributed through an earlier program receive appropriate care and treatment. If the project is successful, the program could be extended to other districts. Mozambique’s cattle herd was decimated during the protracted civil war by disease and through cattle rustling. The project will ensure that the country begins to rebuild its herd again.