Africa hand project, a milk supply chain to nourish the Mozambique
In Mozambique, where almost half of the children suffer from hunger, the development of fodder crops, functional to the growth of the dairy sector, and nutritional education, are essential to guarantee a dignified life even for the poorest people
Despite the economic recovery of recent years, Mozambique still suffers from the ghosts of Portuguese colonialism and the subsequent civil war of the 1980s, which never completely subsided. There remain deep wounds that created extreme poverty and food insecurity. 44% of children under five years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition. Local agriculture can not provide diversified production due to backward farming techniques and partly sandy soil. Poor sanitation practices in the conservation and preparation of foods aggravate the context in which children are the primary victims. Precisely to stem this heavy situation, CEFA, a non-governmental organization from Bologna that has been supporting the development of various countries of the African continent for over 45 years, has decided to create the Africa Hand Project whose objectives are the fight against malnutrition and the support of agricultural development. “We decided to intervene in the area of Beira, Mozambique’s second, through the development of fodder crops, indispensable for launching the dairy sector, and the nutritional education of the population”, explains Luciano Centonze, project manager for CEFA.
This project is in line with the Africa Milk Project, the social dairy in southern Tanzania which has been a Public Limited Company for several years and is managed by the local community. The intervention was awarded at prize at EXPO 2015 as a worldwide Best Practice. Therefore, the Africa Hand Project highlights the commitment and consistency of CEFA to continue feeding the planet by involving profit and non-profit organizations and the peasant realities of the world.
“The long-term goal is to guarantee autonomy to the local populations and start an economic cycle that also involves the neighbouring cities to create well-being and stability, including socially. It therefore strives to be a model for the whole country”, emphasizes the CEFA manager.
The development of a milk supply chain is fundamental in Mozambique, where about 90% of milk and dairy products are imported, above all from the neighbouring South Africa. To make the problem worse, farmers do not know how to grow and make better use of fodder, dairy animals are scarce, and farmers have no technical knowledge.
To meet these challenges, the project provides support for the development of sustainable livestock farming that stimulates the production of fodder for animal feed. In this way, uncultivated land is converted to agriculture.
“For the training in livestock breeding and agronomic techniques, we rely on the Farmer Field School method, a space in which local knowledge and external scientific insights are tested, validated and integrated”, adds Centonze. “The second step is the supply of modern agricultural machinery, which saw the creation of three pilot mechanization centres in which to test walking tractors that allow a leap forward towards a new model of agricultural production. Furthermore, 40 community demonstration fields have been created to improve agronomic techniques for the production of grains, tubers and legumes”.
CEFA is not alone in this adventure, supported instead by several Italian companies and institutions: Granarolo, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, the Emilia Romagna Region, the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, FederUnacoma, Alleanza delle Cooperative, Coopermondo, RS Venturoli Sementi and Mangimificio Ferraroni in collaboration with CAM Consorzio Associazioni con Mozambique of Trento.
However, this ambitious project needs everyone’s contribution. In addition to these companies, each of us can contribute to this project by adopting a mother!
The “adopt a mother” campaign
The families of Nhamatanda live in conditions of poverty and malnutrition due to the low profitability of the agricultural activities and the little variety in their diet.
Poor agricultural knowledge and limited knowledge of the principles of good nutrition are the cause of child malnutrition: every 100 children, 50 never eat protein, and the remaining 50 eat it only 4 times a week, less than once a day.
We want to encourage the consumption of milk, yogurt and legumes, leading the mothers and children towards a diet that frees them from malnutrition and chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
With a per capita income of 450 euros a year, Mozambique is among the poorest countries in the world: over 52% of the population is below the poverty line and 44% of the child population is malnourished.
The economy of Nhamatanda, a city of 200,000 inhabitants, 90 km from Beira is based on subsistence agriculture.
PROGRAM CONTENTS
TO FEED CHILDREN
Thanks to the donation every mother of Mozambique:
- ‑she will learn to cook taking advantage of beans, milk and dairy products, all high-protein foods;
- ‑she will participate in cooking classes and share a meal with her children;
- she will participate in courses on nutrition;
- she will receive a manual of recipes and food advice;
- she will receive a home visit by the nutritionist;
- ‑she will receive a kitchen tool (pan, dish rack, container for clean water, dishes, cutlery ...)
AN AGRICULTURAL KIT
- ‑She will receive a seed kit (corn, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, eggplant ...);
- ‑She will participate in specific training in test fields to produce better and more;
- ‑She will use her crop to participate in the cooking classes.
CAMPAIN FEEDBACK
Every donor will receive:
- a chart and the photo of the mother and children that you support;
- updates on the activities of the Africa Hand Project;
- a gift as a welcome to the group of “Friends of the Mothers”!
The support for one year is 180 euros (15 euros per month). For information contact us by writing to e.lolli@cefaonlus.it or call 051/520285 asking for Elisa.
Iban CEFA – IT66X0707202409032000124915
