Initiative

Beyond Cotton Initiative

I. Background

IAOM, IP in partnership with the World Food Program in Mozambique (WFP), the Centre of Excellence Against Hunger in Brazil (CdE), the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), the Brazilian Cotton Institute (IBA) and the Federal University of Lavras in Brazil (UFLA) is implementing an initiative called "Beyond Cotton -Alternatives for the Production and Disposal of Cotton By-Products and Consortium Crops in Mozambique", with the aim of:

1. Encourage the production and marketing of cotton by-products;
2. Identify markets for the commercialization of intercropped food crops; and
3. Promoting access to food of high nutritional value for rural communities.

This initiative has been underway since 2020 and its actions are centered on three main axes: i) Production, ii) Disposal and Marketing and iii) Food and Nutrition Education. The strategy is to promote increased efficiency in cotton production through intercropping, so that the food produced in the area can be consumed by families first and foremost, and the surplus can supply the local market. At the same time, the prospect is to strengthen the cotton production chain as a whole, encouraging the processing of its by-products, adding financial autonomy and diversifying producers' incomes. Food and Nutrition Education aims to improve the Food and Nutrition Security situation of the families covered by the initiative.

II. Implementation and target group

The initiative is being implemented in the provinces of Manica (Guro and Bárue districts) and Tete (Moatize, Cahora Bassa and Mágoè districts) and involves 1500 cotton-producing families and technicians from the sector and the districts involved.

For the operationalization of this initiative it is foreseen:

1. Train producers in good agricultural practices;
2. Acquire machinery and equipment to use cotton by-products;
3. Establishing Fields of Demonstration of Results (CDRs) on the cultivation of cotton and intercropped food crops;
4. Train producers in marketing and disposal mechanisms;
5. Train technicians and producers in the production and diversification of food crops with high nutritional value combined with cotton;
6. Implement culinary workshops to promote food practices, habits and customs.

III. Actions taken and in progress

1. Five associations were identified in the districts of Cahora Bassa, Moatize and Magoé in Tete Province and in the districts of Guro and Barué in Manica Province as beneficiaries of the initiative;
2. Areas identified for the establishment of a demonstration field for good agricultural practices during the 2022/23 campaign;
3. A baseline study was carried out to identify potential buyers of cotton and intercropped crops;