The DEMA-LIBA project is working in four districts of Niassa and two districts in Cabo Delgado in Northern Mozambique to improve food security and incomes of smallholder farmers. The project is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and aims to reach 18,000 farmers until 2022.

Most farmers in the northern region of Mozambique are subsistence farmers, growing food for their own consumption. Their skills level and uses of inputs are low and as a result so are their yields. Due to poor logistics and infrastructure they are not properly connected to commercial markets in local urban and export markets. These compounding elements, with impacts of a changing climate, has led to a low income for most households, with most living below the international poverty line, and many experiencing food insecurity and malnutrition.

Until 2022, the DEMA-LIBA project has the following targets:

• Increase productivity by 50% for 18,000 farmers (50%) through adoption of climate smart farming systems for food and cash crops

• Increase access to sustainable markets and finance for 8,000 farmers (50% women)

• Increase economic empowerment of 1,000 women as leaders, emerging farmers and entrepreneurs

• Create employment opportunities for 1000 young people (50% young women)

• Create an enabling environment for value chain development

To achieve these targets, the project will be working along five intervention pillars.

First, the project will be promoting sustainable farming with climate smart agriculture practices and farmer based extension services that will increase productivity and climate change resilience. The project provides practical training at demonstration plots and provides technical support to government extension agents that are mandated to train and support 200 champion farmers, who in turn are responsible to train and support five model farmers.

Second, DEMA-LIBA will also improve access to sustainable markets and financing. SNV is promoting a flexible payment arrangement to provide farmers with access to input stocks (seeds, fertilisers and chemicals) on credit, through the provision of risk sharing guarantee funds. To ensure success of the model, the project empowers agro dealers through business skills and management training. DEMA LIBA helps the agro-business by creating demand of the inputs through training of farmers, and demonstration of the use and benefits of improved inputs.

Third, SNV is connecting subsistence farmers to contract farming options. We are supporting local agro-businesses, to implement contract farming agreements that involve the provision of inputs to smallholder farmers and technical guidance for crop production through establishment of demonstration plots, field training and exchange visits.

Fourth, DEMA-LIBA is also establishing savings and lending groups to create value chain financing means for smallholder farmers.

Finally, the project will create an enabling environment for value chain development. Stakeholders and private companies are brought together to discuss, prioritise and tackle key challenges affecting the value chains through platforms established at provincial and district level.

SNV will also be using our dedicated products Balancing Benefits and Opportunities for Youth Employment (OYE) to address gender imbalances, create youth employment and improve nutrition and food security status.