1. Home
  2. IFDC strengthens climate resilience of smallholder farmers after flooding in Buzi

IFDC strengthens climate resilience of smallholder farmers after flooding in Buzi

Mozambique
23.12.2020
IFDC, the FAR implementation organisation, successfully held two Input and Technology Trade Fairs (ITTFs) to rebuild the agricultural capacity of smallholder farmers in the district of Búzi locality of Bandua on 11 November 2020 and Guara-Guara on 13 November 2020 in response to the poor rice growing season as a result of the floods observed in early February 2020. 

A total of 3000 participants attended the fair, including farmers, agro-owners, representatives of small and large input companies.

During the fairs, farmers received several voucher denominations with a specific monetary value, which could be exchanged with sellers for any input (improved seed varieties, fertilizers, fertilizers). The vouchers were distributed to the neediest in the community, identified by the local authorities.At the end of the fair, the sellers exchanged the vouchers for cash with the fair organisers.

In order to support rapid agricultural recovery and increase food security in the face of the climate, participants also received information on good farming practices and learned how to better protect crops from flash floods.

The fair took all the preventive measures against COVID-19 to avoid contamination among all the participants.

Mozambique
Mozambique’s young population is entering a labour market that cannot yet offer enough productive jobs. Each year, around half a million people join the workforce, while formal job creation remains limited and employment is still concentrated in low-productivity, often informal activities such as subsistence agriculture and petty trade.

For many young women and men, the transition from training to work is constrained by limited practical skills, weak certification, and a mismatch between training provision and private-sector demand. These pressures are intensified by Mozambique’s high exposure to climate shocks, including floods, cyclones and droughts, which affect agriculture, infrastructure and transport links. Conflict, fiscal pressure and recent political unrest further reduce private investment and the capacity of enterprises to grow and hire.

Swisscontact works at this critical intersection. Together with training institutions, companies and public partners, we strengthen market-oriented skills development, expand work-based learning and support local enterprise opportunities, including in circular and climate-relevant sectors. Supporting the systems which help Mozambique’s young people turn skills into income, employment and more resilient local economic development.
Learn more