Communities living in the buffer zone of the Limpopo National Park (PNL), in Gaza province, are benefiting from new sustainable agricultural techniques aimed at mitigating the effects of the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon. The initiative is supported by the French government, through the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM), as part of the One Limpopo One Health (OLOH) project.
The project is being implemented in partnership with the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) and the South African organisation Peace Parks Foundation (PPF), with a focus on alternatives to rain-fed agriculture, traditionally used by local communities. The new approaches favour the sustainable use of the Limpopo, Elephant and Shingwedzi rivers, which run through the districts of Massingir, Mabalane, Mapai and Chicualacuala.
With a budget of over 5.4 million dollars (350 million meticals), the initiative will last three and a half years and should benefit around 800 households in two phases.
The first phase, already underway in the Massingir district, covers 400 families who have received vouchers to buy agricultural inputs. The areas involved include the administrative posts of Mavodze, Zulo, Ndzavene and Combomune, where community irrigation systems have been installed.
According to Rosana Manhiça, head of the PNL’s Community Support Programme, the project combines agricultural production with environmental conservation actions. ‘We are implementing practices such as conservation agriculture, livestock management and community training for the sustainable use of natural resources,’ she explained.
Women’s empowerment is also a central aspect of the project, with specific actions aimed at strengthening the role of women in agricultural production and community leadership.
The initiative comes at a time when several areas of Gaza are facing severe food insecurity due to the irregularity of the rains. ‘The aim is to strengthen people’s resilience in the face of climate change, offering them livelihoods that don’t depend exclusively on rain,’ emphasised Manhiça.
At the same time, training is taking place to ensure peaceful coexistence between communities and wildlife. ‘This is conservation territory. That’s why it’s essential to teach communities how to protect their fields without jeopardising wildlife. We’ve already trained 11 community inspectors this year,’ he added.
The One Limpopo One Health project is a cross-border initiative that integrates human, animal and environmental health, and aims to strengthen cohesion between conservation and sustainable development in the most vulnerable areas of the Limpopo National Park.
Source: Agência de Informação de Moçambique
