Agriculture, fisheries and forestry in Mozambique accounted for about 23.4% of GDP in 2014. About 80% of the country’s population depends on agriculture as their primary source of income. Agriculture is a very vulnerable sector because of its high dependence on rainfall (only 3% of the arable land is currently irrigated) and it has already been impacted by frequent drought and floods.  

Mozambique is affected by tropical cyclones and storms almost every year due to its extensive coastline. It is projected that climate change will increase agricultural climate risks due to more frequent and intense droughts, floods and cyclones. This will significantly impact food security and the livelihoods of the rural population. 

A massive natural gas reserve was recently discovered in the Rovuma Basin on the northern coast. Extracting these mineral resources might challenge the agriculture sectors and produce additional negative impacts on the environment, and on the livelihoods of the population in rural communities who may be displaced from their native lands.

EPIC research activities

1. Data collection and analysis on climate variability, changes, projections and impacts
2. Vulnerability hotspots
3. Priority areas for CSA
4. Baseline information for strategic and policy frameworks
5. Capacity development for farmers or crop producers
6. Policy dialogue among governmental representatives