From Tradition to Technique

In Bunga Sede, a quiet community in Guro District, the rhythm of life follows the seasons. The landscape is marked by towering baobabs, narrow footpaths, and traditional round houses built from clay and thatch — a setting where families have farmed for generations. Among them is Linda Castigo Phei, born in 1984, a mother of six whose life has been shaped by the land. Her eldest child is 22; her youngest, just six. All of them have grown up watching their parents work the soil from dawn to dusk. 

For most of her life, Linda farmed exactly as her mother and grandmother had taught her. She planted by memory, without formal training, and used only the tools she could afford. Climate shocks — from prolonged dry spells to unpredictable rains — make every agricultural season gamble. 

“We used to plant wherever there was space,” she recalls. “Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. We never knew what to expect.” 

Things began to change with the rollout of an emergency agriculture project implemented in response to the El Niño-induced drought, led by the Government of Mozambique with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The project is supporting more than 15 700 farming families across the climate-vulnerable districts of Tambara, Guro and Macossa, in Manica Province — areas repeatedly affected by drought, floods, and soil degradation. 

The programme was designed not only to help families recover from losses, but also to strengthen their resilience through improved practices, inputs, and access to water. For Linda, who had limited resources and growing responsibilities at home, the timing could not have been more critical. 

In early 2025, Linda received improved seeds, basic agricultural tools, and regular technical assistance from extension officers trained under the project. These were simple interventions, but they sparked a major shift. Instead of planting randomly, she began to organize her plots into specific blocks — beans in one area, tomatoes in another, onions further down. The layout allowed her to monitor growth, rotate crops, and apply fertilizers more efficiently. 

She also learned the principles of seed selection, multiplication and conservation, including mulching to retain soil humidity, reduce erosion, and suppress weeds. These practices have become essential in districts like Guro, where rainfall is scarce and unpredictable. 

“Before, the land would dry quickly, and we lost a lot,” Linda explains. “Now the soil stays moist longer. The crops grow faster and healthier.” 

Linda currently manages two plots. The first is a 2.5-hectare vegetable garden near her home, where she grows tomatoes, onions, beans and leafy greens during the winter season. The second is a 2-hectare field located more than two hours away on foot, where she cultivates maize, millet cowpeas, pumpkins and other staple crops during the rainy season. The distance makes managing both plots demanding; during harvesting periods, she often sleeps in the remote field to protect the crops from animals and theft. 

The workload is heavy. Linda and her husband farm from Monday to Saturday, starting at 5 a.m. and working until sunset. Hiring labour is too expensive, so the whole family contributes. Four of their children help during weekends and school holidays, learning planting techniques, soil preparation, watering, and basic business skills, for the future. 

Every year, they save around MZN 9 000 (around USD 140) to rent six oxen for land preparation. For them, this investment is essential: without the oxen, preparing several hectares by hand would be nearly impossible. 

Thanks to the improved seeds and technical guidance provided by the project, Linda’s last agricultural season was her most successful yet. She harvested more, sold more, and earned more than she ever had before. 

The income has allowed her to buy school materials for her children, repair parts of her home, and set aside small savings — something she couldn't have imagined a year earlier. 

“When I saw what we earned, I couldn’t believe it,” she says. “For the first time, our work is paying off.” 

Linda has access to a well and uses a motor pump for irrigation. However, the cost of fuel remains a significant challenge, limiting how much land she can water. Recognizing this barrier, the project selected Linda and several neighbouring families to receive a drip irrigation system powered by a solar pump, which was installed in a common area for them to access easily. 

The new system reduces fuel expenses, expands her irrigation coverage, and allows her to grow vegetables continuously — even during the dry season. This will not only increase her productivity but also improve her resilience during climate shocks. 

Today, Linda speaks with confidence about planting calendars, soil fertility, pest control and market opportunities — topics she never imagined mastering. 

“We no longer plant just to plant,” she says. “We plant with strategy.” 

Standing at the edge of her field, adjusting her colourful capulana (brightly coloured, patterned cotton fabric widely used by women in Mozambique) as the wind blows dust across the horizon, Linda reflects on the journey she has made. The transformation has been gradual but steady. It began with seeds and training, but it took root through her determination, discipline, and desire to offer her children a more secure future.