We promote CSA mechanization technologies such as rippers, knife-rollers to minimize soil disturbance during the land preparation process. We promote improved seed varieties that are short-term, drought, and pest resistant. Like the adoption of practices, these technologies can lead to significant increases in productivity.
Our AgriBusiness Unit builds and nurtures market linkages between beneficiary farmers, commodity intermediaries, major commodity processors and exporters, and key support services like agrodealers, inputs firms, and financial institutions. This makes the Unit uniquely positioned to gather invaluable information on buyers’ specific quantity and quality requirements and identify the bottlenecks which block smallholders’ access to these markets. For instance, our programs promote improved post-harvest and quality control practices – e.g., Global GAP and SMETA – which enable farmers to meet export standards; stimulate the production of food security crops for the country’s growing population; and support farmer groups to aggregate large volumes of soya and maize for the rapidly developing local animal feed industry.
All land in Mozambique belongs to the state, with land tenure is based on long-term leasing and the issuing of a land title or direito de uso e aproveitamento dos terras (DUAT). The process to secure land tenure through the acquisition of a DUAT is lengthy, complicated and costly. Most farmers lack the documentation (e.g., an ID card) and the money required. As a result, less than 3% of farmers possess the legal right to occupy their land, leaving them at risk of displacement. Without a sense of land security, farmers have fewer incentives to adopt climate smart practices, pursue good stewardship of the land, and invest in productive agriculture for markets.
For more than ten years, NCBA CLUSA has worked to secure formal land tenure for rural families. This is with the aim of incentivizing smallholder investment in improved and sustainable agricultural practices, including climate smart agriculture. This initiative is harmonized with the objectives of the Government of Mozambique’s Terra Segura program, which aims to strengthen land use rights and improve access to land administration services. Over the last four years, NCBA CLUSA has worked with the Government of Mozambique to secure land use titles (DUATs) for 3,598 households in the provinces of Manica and Zambézia, thereby safeguarding over 21,00 hectares of land. To secure the land use rights for women, 42% of these DUATs were registered in women’s names, and 16% in co-title regime with their husbands.
All of our private sector partners report difficulties in finding staff qualified in specific practical tasks, forcing them to recruit from Maputo or neighboring Zimbabwe. Most existing TVET courses in Mozambique are long (at least six months), far from ideal for firms wishing to send staff for skills development. In addition, many are heavily theoretical and fail to equip staff with the task-specific and knowledge their employer’s demand.
NCBA CLUSA provides practical, skills-based training courses for those either already employed or seeking employment. We enter into formal partnerships with employers to diagnose their training requirements and design short, practical curriculum that match these needs. Our practical TVET courses include dorsal sprayer and boom sprayer calibration, tractor operation, and Global GAP and SMETA regulations for exports. Uniquely in Mozambique, our courses are short (with modules less than one week). For graduates not yet in employment, we complement training with internships and work experience placements.
