When we began our work, Mozambique’s infrastructure was devastated after 17 years of civil war. For most farmers, markets simply didn’t exist. Our early projects focused on empowering farmers to access input and off-take markets by organizing themselves into producer organizations such as associations, unions and farmer group enterprises, and by improving the enabling environment so that these groups could flourish.

At the same time, we pioneered new value chains, most notably soya, one of the country’s greatest agricultural success stories, and we partnered with private sector to develop inclusive business approaches – such as inputs retailer networks and outgrower programs – which embed farmers and microentrepreneurs within the market system.