Files
Abstract
Mozambican agriculture has been changing in the post-war period. This paper seeks to
assist the development of new strategies for agricultural development, especially crop production
investments, in the light of population, nutrition, poverty, agroclimatic, and other
considerations. As requested by the Rockefeller Foundation, who funded this study, the document
identifies the key leverage points and gaps to fill in research, extension, and institutional
development (in the broad sense of the word) to enable both growth and poverty reduction. The
focus is on agricultural systems, and does not include an assessment of livestock, another
important subsector. A key objective was to enable decision makers to have access to documents
and analysis currently only available in Portuguese, as well as to bring together the information
from various sectors. The field research in Mozambique was conducted in June and July of 2002,
with document completed in March 2003. The conclusions emphasize the gains from investing in the
main staples of maize and cassava, as well as potential new cash crops. The center and north of
the country have the highest potential for both reducing poverty and improving livelihoods with
agricultural investments. Strategies that link new crop production technologies to processing and
markets would generate the potential highest impact.