Status: active

The agricultural sector is of paramount importance for socio-economic development of Mozambique. Agriculture is the second largest sector of the economy, contributing by 26% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019 (INE, 2020). Data from Ministry of Agriculture (MASA, 2015), demonstrate that, out of 4.3 million existing farming enterprises, 4.2 million (98.92%) are small-sized (less than 5ha). This implies that nearly 95% of all agricultural land is cultivated by small-scale farming households. Despite an average arable land of 0.21 ha per capita (World Bank statistics, 2011) and favourable climatic conditions to boost agricultural production, crop yields in Mozambique are still low. Low access to inputs is one of the major challenges. Fertilizer use has remained low due to its high cost and poor market linkages (Chivenge et al., 2022). The average intensity of fertilizer uses in Mozambique, as well throughout other Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries remains much lower than elsewhere (roughly 9 kilograms per hectare versus 86 kg/ha in Latin America, 104 kg/ha in South Asia, and 142 kg/ha in Southeast Asia) and has been virtually stagnant during the past decade (Crawford et al., 2006; Chivenge et al., 2022). The Mozambican economy has been affected by both internal and unprecedented external factors such as: i) suspension of external support for the State Budget which translates into eight hundred million dollars less resources per year; ii) terrorist action in Cabo Delgado; iii) the health crisis caused by COVID-19; iv) an increase in the frequency and intensity of cyclones and floods; and v) the conflict in Ukraine. GDP growth has slowed over the last seven years from an average of 7.3% to 2.8%, presenting a significant obstacle for the Government to achieve its socio-economic development goals.