Family farming in Mozambique: are the programs and strategies contributing to the achievement of food self-sufficiency?

Abstract

This research aimed to examine the policies and programs of the agriculture sector in Mozambique, assuming that it is considered a pillar of development and a source of food in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. In Africa, this sector underwent a process of modernization, using the top-down approach characteristic of the intervention processes that became known as the Green Revolution, which used the arguments that production levels would double to end hunger. The literature review shows that policies based on the innovation diffusion model cannot produce enough food to meet the food needs of African families. Mozambique serves as evidence for importing, annually, large quantities of cereals to ensure the food security of the population. The research was supported by studies of rural sociology, and it generated results that suggest that Mozambique needs to design policies and programs based on its specific social, economic, and ecological contexts. To reduce shortcomings in policies and programs, it is necessary to prioritize the participation of farmers, to ensure that the objectives are aligned with the demands and contexts in which the subjects are inserted.