AGRA - Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

AGRA recently awarded SNV Mozambique with a grant of USD 800,000 for a 3-year project that aims at improving food security and incomes of smallholder farmers through intensification of maize and pigeon pea production and marketing in 3 districts in Tete Province of Mozambique.

 Through promoting backward linkages with buyers/exporters, the project seeks to improve productivity and quality of the produce and lower transaction costs of trading maize and pigeon pea and possibly other pulses. Alliances with other AGRA grantees and local organisations are being built and knowledge of what works will be shared.

 The project is financed by the Soil Health Programme of AGRA and addresses common challenges faced by smallholders through a Value Chain Development approach, which includes the following interventions:

• Analysis of the value chain and driving forces for improvement of bottlenecks: identification of market based solutions;
• Linking farmers to output markets;
• Capacity building of farmers, farmer organizations and extension workers in ISFM, GAP, marketing skills and better farmer organization;
• Linking farmers to inputs through an inclusive business approach

 The production of pigeon pea and maize is promoted in the three high-potential districts of Moatize, Tsangano and Angonia in Tete province, targeting 20,000 smallholder farmers - with 30% of them being women.