Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, is establishing a lasting foundation for progress against global hunger. With a focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, Feed the Future supports partner countries in developing their agriculture sectors to spur economic growth that increases incomes and reduces hunger, poverty, and undernutrition. Feed the Future efforts are driven by country-led priorities and rooted in partnership with donor organizations, the private sector, and civil society to enable long-term success. Feed the Future aims to assist millions of vulnerable women, children, and family members to escape hunger and poverty, while also reaching significant numbers of children with highly effective nutrition interventions to prevent stunting and child mortality.
Over the next five years in Mozambique, Feed the Future aims to help an estimated 207,000 vulnerable Mozambican women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 346,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. Significant numbers of additional rural populations will achieve improved income and nutritional status from strategic policy engagement and institutional investments.
The first set of core investments in USG/Mozambique‘s FTF strategy provides smallholders with links to input and output markets in selected value chains. The focus of this set of investments will be on oilseeds (sesame, groundnuts, and soybeans), cashews, and fruit (e.g., pineapple, mango and bananas). The main objective is inclusive agriculture sector growth, which FTF/Mozambique will achieve through increased and sustained agricultural productivity, expanded markets and trade, and increased private sector investment in agriculture and nutrition-related activities. Investment in these value chains will improve income opportunities for smallholders, increase access to nutritious foods, and facilitate competitiveness of small scale farmers in these value chains.
Cashews
This investment builds on USAID/Mozambique‘s history of successful cashew sector development. This experience includes USAID Title II support to nurseries in seedling production and distribution and DA support to the local cashew processing industry – the latter resulting in one of the most vibrant cashew processing sectors in Africa. Building on this track record, FTF will now invest in a major supply-side constraint: renewing the existing stock of cashew plants. Mozambique has the oldest population of cashew trees in Africa (some trees are more than 80 years old) and overall productivity is decreasing rapidly. Thus, our FTF investment in cashews focuses on the expansion of cashew nurseries to supply new cashew seedlings and to extend pruning and crafting practices for existing trees.
Specific activities include:
Technical assistance and grants to existing nurseries or other investors (e.g., cashew processors, entrepreneurs) to incentivize establishing nurseries and supply seedlings and extension (nurseries to offer a package of seedlings, and training in seedling maintenance, crafting, and pruning; farmers to pay for this service).
Technical assistance and support to farmer and community organizations for them to support smallholders in grafting, pruning, and seedling care monitoring, and pass on processor-financed incentive payments for tree care.
Using guidance from the January 2011, USAID Evaluation Policy, USAID/Mozambique will employ monitoring and evaluation (M & E) personnel to gather evidence of how FTF Mozambique projects are sustainably reducing poverty and hunger. USAID/Mozambique‘s Agriculture, Trade and Business Office (ATB) staff will be responsible for supervising M & E work. USG/Mozambique will monitor and evaluate overall FTF investments to ensure that they are achieving objectives and maximizing returns. Program activities must be tracked through periodic field visits by Mission staff and through ongoing monitoring and learning by implementing partners. USG/Mozambique‘s approach to M&E will consist of three components:
The integration of agriculture, nutrition, and health elements into a joint strategic plan provides a unique opportunity to innovate, document, and demonstrate best practices associated with a concurrent multi-sector investment model. Because the Mozambique FTF strategy will be supporting linkages among existing programs, USAID/Mozambique is well positioned to develop a model for harmonizing key agricultural and nutrition indicators relevant across areas of focus. Building on this collaboration, both the Health and Economic Growth teams will work together to integrate M & E systems and processes to track synergies and multiplier effects between the two sectors. The integration of the M & E function may take the form of harmonized M & E plans at the implementer level combined with joint monitoring by Mission, Economic Growth and Health team members.
Reliable and well-defined monitoring, reporting, and evaluation methods, roles, and communication channels result in:
A fully functioning M & E team and system further help to illustrate the Mission‘s value added to overall development not only to key stakeholders in the USG, but also to the Government of Mozambique and other development partners.
FTF/Mozambique will use the following lead indicators to track progress in implementing this strategy.
Reduction in the poverty prevalence rate in Zambezia and Nampula, disaggregated by sex; Reduction in the underweight prevalence rate of children under five years of age in Zambezia and Nampula.
Further indicators will be chosen as appropriate, but are expected to include:
Value of incremental sales (collected at farm-level) attributed to FTF implementation, disaggregated by sex of household; Prevalence of stunted children under five years of age.
Date | User | Log | State |
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Wed, 10/08/2014 - 12:56 | engesveenk | Edited by engesveenk. | draft |
Tue, 04/09/2013 - 17:53 | AnnaLartey | Edited by william_nkoom. | draft |
Fri, 04/05/2013 - 18:26 | AnnaLartey | Edited by AnnaLartey. | draft |
Fri, 04/05/2013 - 18:17 | AnnaLartey | Edited by AnnaLartey. | draft |