Gorongosa National Park (PNG), in central Mozambique, has started a food distribution programme for 3,500 farming families living in the areas surrounding the reserve, seriously affected by the lack of rain that has compromised this year’s crops.
‘This year, the rains came late and the crops didn’t grow, which created food insecurity,’ said the PNG, emphasising that the support is funded with an additional donation from the Greg Carr Foundation, a long-time partner of the park.
Each family is receiving 25 kilos of rice, 25 kilos of maize flour, five kilos of beans, as well as oil, salt, dried fish, soap and powdered milk, in an emergency response aimed at guaranteeing basic food security while waiting for the rainfall to normalise.
The Park emphasises that these farming communities, located in the buffer zone of the protected area, are made up of resilient workers who, even with scarce resources and limited technology, grow maize, sorghum, sesame, vegetables, fruit and crops such as cashews. ‘The good news is that the rains have finally started and the families should have the opportunity to harvest later this year,’ reads a PNG statement.
The support provided is part of a long-term community development strategy, which includes promoting food reserves and encouraging irrigation as a solution to the unpredictable rains, which are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change.
Since 2008, PNG has been rehabilitated through a public-private partnership between the government and the Greg Carr Foundation, with a focus on biodiversity conservation and the sustainable human development of neighbouring communities. This model has been held up as an international example, both for the growth of fauna and for the positive impact on local populations.
In addition to environmental conservation, the park implements social projects in the areas of health, education, agriculture and income generation, such as the production of coffee and Gorongosa honey, which already has ambitions in the export market.
‘We have two objectives: to conserve nature and to improve people’s lives. And there can’t be one without the other,’ said Greg Carr, who for almost 20 years has divided his life between the United States and the heart of Gorongosa.
Source: Lusa
