Agriculture and Forestry
Agro-forestry
When Joseph Alfazema was growing up there, the area around Kapasseni was
a forest, thick with trees with many uses - some bearing fruit or nuts,
others excellent for building, or firewood, some with medicinal uses.
But during the long war years, forests all over Mozambique were burned,
to flush out the guerrilla fighters. Many trees have also been cut down
for firewood. We have assisted with several efforts to plant food bearing
trees, with varying success.
In 2003, we brought in 450 seedlings - orange, banana, mango, tangerine, coconut, cashew, prickly pear, passion fruit, avocado and pineapple. A large orchard was cleared and fenced, and villagers were hired to plant the trees and take ongoing care of them. While many of the young trees were swept away in heavy rains or eaten by marauding goats, these efforts have been a good start in re-establishing a local base agro-forestry. As the trees mature the people will have fruits and nuts that are essential for better nutrition.
In 2005 and 2006, Garry Brooks, a Victoria-based development officer, worked with the villagers to set up tree nurseries and provided instruction on using the forest as a sustainable resource. With his help, over 12,000 tree seedlings were planted. Morringa trees were planted to produce highly nutritious additives for the school breakfast program porridge, and Leucaena trees were planted for animal forage, soil improvement and firewood.
Perpetua with a maturing cashew bush |
 Seedlings being prepared for planting in Kapasseni |
Agriculture and Food Security
Frequent droughts in Kapasseni often lead to widespread hunger. Many families
rely on their crops for food, but when there is not enough rain in the
growing season, many food and cash crops fail. We have had reports of
families with no food at all, of others living on one meal a day of boiled
sweet potatoes, and of parents walking from Kapasseni to Murraca (40 km),
or riding bicycles to Caia (60 km), to search for a day's work in the
fields in exchange for some flour.
Our efforts to help improve food security are ongoing.
- We have funded two wells that provide some irrigation water, have provided seeds and expertise for an orchard of fruit and nut trees, have encouraged education about planting and irrigation, and helped to develop storage facilities.
- In 2006, when Gettin' Higher Choir members found out about food shortages and hunger in Kapasseni, they started a "Seeds for Life" fundraising drive. The choir and others quickly raised $10,000, and were able to provide seeds for 266 families and also for the school garden. Corn, peanuts, sesame seeds, sunflower and beans were all sown, and many trees and seedlings were planted.
- In 2005 and 2006, community development volunteer Garry Brooks taught the villagers about food growing, crop diversification and storage methods. A storage room built in 2004 holds enough grain for the school breakfast program for the year.
 A woman holds the last beans from her garden in a time of drought |
 Garry Brooks discusses corn storage with Kapasseni school children |
