The Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique (IIAM) signed a grant agreement worth around 17 million meticals (269,000 dollars) with the Feed The Future Mozambique- Integrated Resilience in Nutrition and Agriculture (FTF-RESINA) project on Thursday, 6 June, in the municipal town of Ribáuè, Nampula province, to increase its basic seed production capacity.
According to the Agência de Informação de Moçambique (AIM), the irrigation project will be developed in IIAM’s field of experiments, in the Ribáuè district, and aims to improve training, best practice techniques and access to technology for producers.
“The memorandum of understanding with IIAM aims to strengthen its capacity to produce good quality first generation seeds that will then feed the rest of the production chain. We have to plant good seeds today in order to have good harvests tomorrow,’ emphasised the Director of the Resilience and Growth Office of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Michael Nicholson.
IIAM’s director-general, Zélia Menete, who was also present at the signing of the memorandum, emphasised that rural areas have a lot of courage and work habits, with motivated people and under the right leadership, factors that can lead to the success of this initiative.
She said that IIAM will gain the capacity to produce basic seed all year round, which would not be possible without irrigation. “The funds we’ve received are very important, but the fundamental resource is motivated people with good leadership. But it’s not enough just to have quality seed if it doesn’t reach the farmers. These funds will be managed here at IIAM, in Nampula, and we will continue to provide our support and monitoring,’ he concluded.
The initiative is part of the five-year FTF-RESINA project, funded by USAID to the tune of two billion meticals (32 million dollars), to support farmers in the provinces of Zambézia and Nampula, through a local food systems approach.
Data gathered by AIM from FTF-RESINA indicates that the project, which is already in its second year of implementation, aims to increase the resilience capacities of approximately 152,000 families by increasing food security, improving the management of productive natural resources and also the nutritional status of women, adolescent girls and children.
In Nampula province, the project covers the districts of Murrupula, Mogovolas, Ribáuè, Mecubúri and Lalaua; and in Zambézia, it covers Mocuba, Ile, Gúruè, Namarrói, Lugela and Alto Molócuè.
