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Day 2

30 grams of seeds of old varieties for a farming family in Mozambique

Abundant harvests through old varieties Abundant harvests through old varieties

30 grams of seeds of old varieties for a farming family in Mozambique
Day 2
A variety of fruits, vegetables and grains to combat hunger

Corn doesn't always have to be yellow. It comes in many different colors. You can find blue, black, red, purple, white and even mixed-colored corn cobs. The different varieties can be eaten fresh, cooked or ground and made into flatbreads, for example. And carrots weren't originally orange at all, but white, yellow or purple. The first orange-colored carrots can be seen in Dutch paintings from the 17th century. It is therefore assumed that the Dutch bred carrots in their national color!

Today, there are almost only orange carrots. But it is worth rediscovering the old varieties. White carrots are very mild and purple ones are particularly sweet. Xitonga, Raposta and Kenha, for example, are names of local types of corn in Mozambique. These varieties had almost disappeared. Now they are being grown again. Because the more diverse the varieties, the more varied and healthier the diet. "And the old varieties simply taste better," explains Emilia Francisco, a farmer from Mozambique.

A variety of fruits, vegetables and grains to combat hunger
A variety of fruits, vegetables and grains to combat hunger
need
Securing food supplies for farming families threatened by hunger and climate change.
activity
The farmers' association UNAC creates community fields for and with small farmers, collects seeds, builds seed stores and organizes seed markets.
Measurable performance
Quantity of seeds of old varieties obtained and number of farming families receiving them for sowing and reproduction.
Result
The farming families can provide for themselves, secure their harvests for the future and exchange their self-produced seeds on local markets.
Systemically relevant impact
Fewer people are suffering from hunger. Diets are becoming healthier, agriculture is becoming more ecological and biodiversity in the fields is increasing.
background

There are many monocultures in Mozambique. Only one variety is grown in the fields, mostly with highly bred hybrid seeds. It promises a good harvest. The Mozambican government has also promoted and advertised this seed to reduce poverty and hunger in the country. But the plan did not work. The number of starving people in Mozambique has even increased in recent years. This is because hybrid seeds have many disadvantages: They require agricultural poisons and expensive artificial fertilizers. This puts a lot of strain on the soil and water. Another problem is that the seeds produced by the agricultural industry cannot be reproduced. They have to be bought anew for each sowing. This means that farming families in Mozambique become dependent on industrial products that they often cannot afford (Urhahn et al. 2020). Around two thirds of the population in central Mozambique are considered extremely poor. Around 70 percent of families live from small-scale farming (BMZ 2023)

If local varieties are rediscovered and grown more frequently, this can be a way out of poverty and make healthy nutrition possible. Farming families can produce their own seeds for the next sowing from part of the harvest. By growing robust and diverse varieties, toxic pesticides and artificial fertilizers can be avoided.

Together, the small farmers set up "seed banks" in which they safely store seeds and exchange them with each other. In doing so, they test and try out which varieties are best suited to which soils and conditions, and which combinations produce the best and most diverse harvest. As a rule, local seeds are better adapted to the soil and require less water than industrial seeds. The diversity of different varieties reduces the risk of the entire harvest failing if conditions change, for example due to extreme weather such as droughts or heavy rain. This is becoming increasingly important due to climate change.

The good deed

Your good deed enables a farming family in Mozambique to receive 30 grams of seeds of old varieties. With a network of farmers, INKOTA partner UNAC multiplies seeds of resilient local varieties of fruit, vegetables and grains. On community fields, farmers learn how to use agroecological methods to sustainably obtain seeds and achieve a good harvest on their own fields. In return, they receive starter packages with tools. Together, they build seed stores and organize seed markets for exchanging and trading local varieties. This spreads the seeds and knowledge of sustainable cultivation methods in the region. With agroecological farming, farmers contribute to nature conservation and biodiversity and can provide their families with sufficient food. Food diversity is increased, harvests become more crisis-proof, and people's nutrition and health improve.

Über Mosambik
Maputo
Maputo
Hauptstadt
33.897.354
33.897.354
Einwohnerzahl
608.4
608.4
Bruttoinlandsprodukt pro Kopf pro Jahr in USD
0,461
0,461
Human Development Index (Index der menschlichen Entwicklung)

Anyone travelling through Mozambique will often meet people who speak fluent German, even in the smallest villages. They worked as contract workers in the GDR.

Über die Organisation und weitere Informationen

Organisation

INKOTA-netzwerk e.V. 

Webseite 

www.inkota.de

Quellen und weiterführende Links