The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Mozambique signed two grant agreements with a combined value of US$4.2 million. These grants will help to build the resilience of rural communities through improved food security, better nutrition and increased incomes. The funding will be channelled through two existing IFAD-supported development projects.  

The agriculture sector in Mozambique provides employment to 70 per cent of the population and accounts for about 27.5 per cent of the country’s GDP, mainly from crop production, forestry, livestock and fisheries. However, the small-scale producers who provide 94 per cent of the food consumed in Mozambique have very little access to mechanization. Productivity is low and farmers lose about 30 per cent of their crops due to post-harvest losses. The situation is made worse by the country’s vulnerability to climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of severe climate events. Most recently, Cyclone Freddy destroyed about 66,000 hectares of agricultural land, negatively impacting the country’s food security.