The equipments will help to increase food production in a total area of about 230 hectares, and stimulate local agrarian markets.

“The support will remarkably help to increase the food production capacity of these needy, rural districts. They will also motivate other local communities to get organized into agricultural associations as a means to ensure higher productivity levels”, said Mr. Salim Kripton Vala, the National Director of Rural Development Promotion from the Ministry of Planning and Development, during the hand-over ceremonies.

UNDP had decided to support the two Youth Agricultural Associations in response to the call from the President of the Republic of Mozambique for additional support in response to international food crisis in 2008.
While not foreseen within UNDP’s regular annual work plan for 2008, these activities were sought to have potential to produce immediate impact at local level in response to food crisis in these drought stricken regions of Southern Mozambique. In two successive years, 2007 and 2008, Mozambique was hit by drought, flood and two cyclones, substantially contributing to the number of natural disasters worldwide, and exacerbating the country’s food crisis.