For the most part farmers plant with the rains (many have no close source of water), however before the rains come they till their farms by hand; using a hoe they mound the soil in long rows about 18in high and 12in wide; this gives the appearance of a midwestern corn field. Though this leaves the soil soft and makes root growth easy, they add nothing to the soil (organic or otherwise) nor cover the soil but rather leave it exposed to the wind and air before the rains come. So basically any moisture in the soil evaporates before the rains come, and then when it does rain it takes even longer for water to reach the deep soil, and the force of the drops on the loose mounds causes a lot of runoff. Overtime the main nutrients are leached from the soil, leaving the red dirt high in iron which will turn a farm acidic, not good at all. Even if this problem is realized a farmer can afford to do little to amend the soil. Inputs (such as a fertilizer - organic or not) are up to 6 times more expensive here, because they are imported and then transported.
But lets just say that a farmer uses techniques that prevent this from happening...transport still poses a major problem. Farmers that succeed, but live way out in the country have no market to sell their surplus at because many of these roads have no traffic aside from bicycles and the odd motorcycle. Furthermore, storage silos, of any sort, are almost non-existent. So a crop of corn (the hard starchy type used for cornmeal) or dried beans can quickly spoil or become a meal for weevils if it is not moved. This leaves farmers in situation where they feel enormous pressure to sell their harvest for any price as soon as possible, and sell it all (rather than waiting for better prices once demand goes up or even safe-guarding some to eat). So a farmer that has grown a big crop now has little food at home, but rather some money, that doesn't do much good between the months of November and March. This period is often called the 'hungry season'. The heat of the summer limits what can be grown; most nutritious vegetable plants will burn in the heat and food preservation techniques (i.e. canning or drying) are not used, and the corn, beans, and tomatoes planted in October have yet to mature. So though money is always helpful, it is of less use when nobody has food to sell. A family that struggles through the summer months is obviously less healthy and more susceptible to illness. Once the weather cools and the fall veggie season begins if a family is not healthy their ability to plant declines and the cycle continues. Also, factor in the effects of water-borne diseases and malaria. This is a formula for long-term poverty.
So now that I have sufficiently depressed you...., there are a number of organizations working to remedy this, to increase food availability, access, and utilization. There is no quick long-term solution, so organizations are starting with new techniques, appropriate transport technologies (i.e. carts pulled by cows), organizing farmers into to associations with selling power, and associations into larger networks with large storage warehouses. There is an Zimbabwean group that has been advocating for what is called conservation agriculture for years. Tomorrow I will begin a 2 day training workshop in Mutare, Zimbabwe to help bring their work here. What they teach is not anything new to agriculture or new to me, but old habits being hard to break these it will take time for these techniques to spread and hold in Mozambique. Just like with many sustainable farming techniques the greatest yields are seen only after years of use. This is a difficult investment for a poor farmer to make.
Foremost, conservation agriculture promotes no-till (or minimum-till) farming. This means farmers are instructed not to make those gloriously long and impressive mounds of soil. Rather they should stake out their field, establish permanent planting rows and then plant in almost the exact same holes each year. Before planting compost/aged manure (and possibly a pelletized fertilizer) should be worked into each hole (compost making is part of the workshop). This concentrates the fertility in the weak soil and also forces the farmer to adhere to a regular organization of their farmer (thus making the space more efficient). Before planting farmers are instructed to cover the entire field with a thick layer of mulch (cut grass from the plains, old crop residues, etc). This layer protects the soil from evaporation and the force of rain, slowly decomposes over time adding organic matter to the soil, and smothers weeds. A well planned field also allows farmers to make a map and adhere to a crop rotation. What will be new for me are the particularities that are unique to this climate, whether that be row spacing, compost making, or time of plantings. I will be attending this training with a couple other Mozambicans, but we are not the first to go. World Vision has been teaching these techniques for the past few years. One of the trainings I attended this past week was instructing local farmers on these techniques. Going to the workshop in Zimbabwe will enable me to train the trainers. That will be one of my roles here.
In Alto Molócué I'll be working with various farmer associations (sort of like cooperatives) to set up demonstration plots using the conservation agriculture techniques. I will do the same with a group of youth ages 5-17 with the intention of teaching new techniques before old habits harden. Furthermore, I will work with the farmer associations and larger farmer federation with the hope of increasing the amount of harvest that comes from the countryside into larger towns where it can be stored and sold for a better price. Up until now the use of animals on farms in this region is almost non-existent (and tractors even less available). Another World Vision project is training farmers to use draft animals (cows and oxen) in the field but also as a way to move goods. My work may very well change as I get settled, but this is the main scaffold.
I have a ton of photos, of farmers and the mountains of Mozambique, but those will have to wait as my cord is in another town right now. For now, enjoy my self-portait.
