Overview
Mozambique faces an array of challenges to achieving the inclusive rural growth needed to reduce high levels of poverty, malnutrition, and food insecurity. Additionally, much of the country’s population is subject to frequent and recurrent shocks and stresses due to climatic events, chronic and catastrophic health events, and violent extremism or civil unrest. These challenges have become more acute over the past few years as Mozambique emerges from macroeconomic and health shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, from powerful tropical storms that decimated infrastructure, housing, and farmland, and armed violence that has led to large numbers of internally displaced persons in the north and, to a much smaller extent, the center of the country. The majority of Mozambicans continue to live in rural areas, and 71% earn their livelihoods from agriculture and natural resources.  In the Northern provinces Mozambique, Zambezia and Nampula, 62% and 65% of the population respectively live below the poverty line. In the mid- and high-elevation zones of central Nampula and Zambezia provinces, food insecurity is also rampant, with 48% and 43% of households experiencing periodic hunger throughout the year, respectively. 

Despite having abundant fertile land and conducive agro-climatic conditions in many parts of the country, agricultural productivity remains quite low, and the agricultural employment as currently practiced is associated with higher levels of poverty in Mozambique.

Program Description
The Feed the Future Mozambique Resiliência Integrada na Nutrição e Agricultura Activity (FTF RESINA) is a five year $29.5 M integrated agriculture, WASH (Water , Sanitation and Hygiene) and nutrition activity aimed to strengthen the ability of communities and systems to absorb, adapt to, and transform to the frequent shocks and stressors they face. Located in the Resilience Focus Zone (RFZ) of Zambezia and Nampula, RESINA will focus on diversified and climate-smart agriculture production, increased access to clean water through multi-use water systems, and improved nutrition outcomes for women and children under 2 years of age. The word RESINA in Portuguese means resin, the substance produced by plants to protect them from insects and pathogens. As resin increases resilience of plants, RESINA is designed to increase resilience of smallholder farmers and rural households in selected districts of Zambezia and Nampula provinces. 

Expected Results
Increased Household Food Security: 20% Reduction in Moderate and Severe Food Insecurity from Baseline
Increased Productivity of Smallholder Agriculture 

  • 30% increase in yield of targeted agriculture commodities from baseline.

Increased Profitability of Agricultural Enterprises 

  • 30% increase in value of annual sales over baseline and $5 million mobilized in agriculture financing. 

Improved Management of Productive Natural Resources: 20% Increase in Hectares under Improved Management over the Baseline
Increased use of Sustainable Climate Change Adaptation Approaches in  Agriculture 

  • 20,000 Households / firms investing in activities to adapt / mitigate climate impacts.   
  • Market for climate-smart technologies and practices strengthened (including climate-smart, drought and flood tolerant seeds), 

Increased access to and management of multi-use water resources 

  • 10,000 individuals benefiting from adoption and implementation of measures to improve water resources management.   
  • Improved quality of drinkable water by use and access to water filters. 

Improved nutrition outcomes of women, adolescent girls, and young children (food and water utilization): 20% reduction in Household’s Reporting Moderate to Severe Hunger from Baseline  
Improved diets for women, adolescent girls, and young children 

  • 20% of female participants of RESINA nutrition sensitive agriculture activities consume a diet of minimum diversity over baseline. 

Womens’ Empowerment

  • 50% of women report more decision-making over agricultural assets as compared to the RESINA baseline. 
  • Increased knowledge of dietary benefits of accessible foods.