September 11, 2009

New Project Won: Mozambique—Strengthening Communities Through Integrated Programming Project

ACDI/VOCA has received a $5.8 million subaward under the new USAID-funded Strengthening Communities through Integrated Programming (SCIP) project, a five-year, multisector grant to improve the health and economic livelihoods of families in Zambezia.

As in much of rural Africa, residents of this underdeveloped province suffer from high rates of disease and are isolated from markets and innovative agricultural practices. The physical and financial costs of illness, combined with the overall lack of economic opportunities, result in low productivity and low savings rates. At the same time, low incomes make it difficult for families to afford adequate treatment and good nutrition, making them more vulnerable to illness. SCIP will simultaneously address both barriers to improved family livelihoods by investing in health infrastructures and farmer access to markets and agricultural technology.

ACDI/VOCA leads the agribusiness and rural enterprise development component of the program, which is led by World Vision. The project employs a value chain approach (VCA) to link smallholder farmers with downstream market actors, such as processors and regional exporters. By improving local market information systems and building relationships along the value chain, the project helps farmers negotiate favorable production contracts with buyers capable of offering higher prices and providing agricultural inputs on credit.

To support income-generation activities, ACDI/VOCA will mitigate value chain constraints faced by “vulnerable but viable” farmers by promoting demand-driven community investments in irrigation infrastructure, warehouses and community health facilities. As part of this activity, ACDI/VOCA is also working with suppliers of irrigation equipment to develop small-scale irrigation packages appropriate and affordable to smallholder farms. Local investments will be supported by training in organization management and new agricultural techniques, including conservation farming.

Building on ACDI/VOCA’s experience in other East African countries, we will establish a pilot warehouse receipts program (WRP), which will improve access to grain storage and enable smallholders to capitalize on favorable seasonal grain price fluctuations, effectively stabilizing household income and year-round food security. A properly functioning grain WRP, supported by well-managed storage infrastructure and appropriate legislative financial services policies, will increase SCIP beneficiaries' access to finance and allow them to invest in improved farm level technologies.

Through the SCIP program, ACDI/VOCA will improve yields, market access, market information and value chain linkages for farmers in Zambezia, improving the productivity of agricultural value chains for disadvantaged rural families in Mozambique.

To learn about ACDI/VOCA’s work in Mozambique, click here.