Support to Rural Development in Zambezia Province, Mozambique (PRODEZA II)

The overall objective of the project was to reduce rural poverty – especially of women – in Zambezia province. The purpose of the Project was to enhance agricultural value-chains, food security and the enabling local economic environment.
The second phase of the project began December 2010. The purpose of the project was to enhance agricultural value-chains, food security and the enabling local economic environment. The project was implemented in close cooperation with the Mozambican counterparts; the Government of Zambezia province, the District Administrations of Mocuba and Maganja de Costa and National Directorate for Promoting Rural Development. Building the capacity of the agriculture sector institutions was central part of the project. PRODEZA II’s main focus was delivering services aimed at supporting local economic growth through development of agricultural value chains, at the same time as supporting local food security to prevent poorer members of the community from falling behind, as well as mitigating the vulnerability of households increasingly engaged in cash crop production. This was done through i. direct interventions in the value chains, ii. food security interventions such as crop diversification and improved storage facilities and iii. supporting the decentralisation process in becoming more participatory and better geared towards providing an enabling environment for local economic development. The direct beneficiaries of PRODEZA II are the actors in the supported agricultural value chains, i.e. the small- and medium-scale farmers (women and men, with the main focus on those organised in informal producer groups, associations or cooperatives), persons involved in processing agricultural products, & traders at rural, district and provincial levels.

Component 1: Agriculture and Agribusiness development. 

Component 2: Support to food security and development.