ESSOR (Mozambique)
ESSOR is a French NGO founded in 1992 to help the most vulnerable populations acquire the necessary means to sustainably improve their living conditions. Agricultural development is one of the three main areas of ESSOR’s expertise.
In 2020/2021, the Eurofins Foundation supported ESSOR’s farming project in Mozambique. The project aims to improve the quantity and quality of production on small farms, while preserving the environment in the regions of Nampula and Maputo by promoting the use of local plants and traditional know-how and phasing out the use of chemical inputs.
In 2020, a total of 643 market gardeners have been supported in their conversion to sustainable agriculture. These results have contributed to improving food and nutrition security by promoting the diversification of production, increasing productivity, creating and maintaining jobs, while preserving natural resources, biodiversity, and increasing the resilience of people’s livelihoods to climate change.
More than 600 producers across both cities improved their living conditions by following a Participative Agricultural Training (PAT), allowing them to increase their income and productivity and improve their health.
Ten agricultural small businesses have been strengthened and supported to define their missions and set up concrete projects.
The Nampula City Council and Nampula District Department of Economic Activities are involved in the promotion of agroecology. In addition to environmental benefits, more than 2,800 people in the peri-urban areas of Nampula and Maputo have seen their lives improve, thanks to the increase in producers' incomes and new agroecological methods. Soil quality and biodiversity in both cities are also gradually improving due to the reduced use of chemical inputs in agricultural production.
The Eurofins Foundation renewed its support to this programme for the period 2021/2023, enabling ESSOR to set up a “market gardeners’ leaders’ network” facilitating knowledge dissemination. The marketing of products will be strengthened with the establishment of initiatives supporting the supply of organic inputs.
Following the Participative Agricultural Training (PAT), one third of the market gardeners stopped using chemicals completely. They also learnt how to handle chemicals safely. 177 gardeners now participate in the lightened PAT, and themes for the programme were chosen based on a diagnosis of their issues. The participants have already implemented actions based on several components of the PAT and addressed issues such as “water management in dry periods” and “identification of pests and diseases”. They were able to create their own biofertilisers and carry out experiments, strengthening their competence in agroecology.
Furthermore, the project included various workshops and trainings to educate gardeners on their role in promoting agroecology and disseminating best practices (networking, knowledge transfer, leadership, active listening, monitoring and evaluation, basic principles of experimentation etc.). Following these sessions, 66 participants are now active in the agroecological transition.
Overall, 294 market gardeners are supported by the project, including 156 market gardeners which supply the agro-ecological chain on a regular basis. 177 gardeners participated in the upgraded Participative Agricultural Training.
2826 members of the farmers' family benefit from the Eurofins Foundation’s support of the project.
In April 2022, the first agriculture forum in the region was held in Maputo, organised by the Secretariat of State Service of Maputo, with the participation of several public institutions such as Eduardo Mondlane University, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Services of Economic Activities, Provincial Services of Activities, FAO among others.
This project contributes to the following United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
