Developing Supportive Strategies for Restoration of Degraded Agricultural Landscape in The South Zone of Mozambique
Context
About 67% of Mozambique’s population live in rural areas, with roughly 99% of these rural residents engaged in family farming, which makes up 82% of the rural economy. In the provinces of Maputo, Gaza, and Inhambane, characterised by Miombo woodlands, family farming is mainly itinerant (shifting cultivation). The communities clear natural vegetation through slash-and-burn methods, cultivate the land briefly, then abandon it when it becomes infertile and look for new land—repeating this cycle repeatedly.
Climate change has severely affected agricultural landscapes, with shifting cultivation responsible for 65% of deforestation in Mozambique according to the Forest Reference Level for REDD+. The productivity of lands under shifting cultivation is often very low, causing communities to continually move in search of new lands. Clearing and abandoning land have negative impacts on soils, biodiversity, forests, rivers, and other natural resources, increasing the vulnerability of communities that rely on such resources.
Women and children, who make up the majority of small-scale farmers and provide food for families, are particularly vulnerable. This activity impacts food security and damages land, with the greatest effects on those responsible for cultivation. The land offers limited benefits to rural communities with short production cycles marked by very low productivity despite considerable effort to prepare land for farming.
The technical assistance addresses barriers to sustainable agricultural landscapes through integrated, gender-responsive restoration strategies. Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) measures and agroforestry systems will ensure adaptation plans address women’s and marginalized communities’ needs while guaranteeing revitalization of ecosystems and improvement in agricultural soil fertility. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADER) has identified the need to adopt mechanisms that reduce environmental impacts while ensuring socioeconomic sustainability of communities and improving their social well-being through stable and sustained livelihoods.
Goal
To support the development of measures for restoring degraded agricultural landscapes in Mozambique’s South Zone as a contribution to climate action.
CAA Technical Assistance
The technical assistance will deliver:
- Comprehensive classification reports of degraded areas in Maputo, Gaza, and Inhambane provinces to support planning of intervention activities, including assessments of Miombo woodland vulnerabilities.
- Capacity-building programs to update the skills of technicians and extensionists on landscape restoration and Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) measures.
- Guidelines for training communities in landscape restoration and climate-smart agriculture based on national and local circumstances.
