Press Release: Poverty reduced in northern Mozambique despite cyclones and conflict - 21 January 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Simon Crittle (email: scrittle@ideglobal.org)

Maputo, Mozambique (January 21, 2025) – Despite continuing civil unrest in Mozambique, iDE (international Development Enterprises) is today releasing an evaluation of a major USAID-funded market-based, agricultural initiative in the country’s northern Cabo Delgado province, which showed a significant reduction in poverty among participants.

Highlighting the imperative to carry on development work and foster prosperity in the Southern African nation, the evaluation of the 3-year, US$8.1 million Farmer Resilience and Rebuilding Initiative (FRRI), was carried out to tackle food insecurity, enhance agricultural productivity, and mitigate economic vulnerabilities among initiative participants, as socio-political instability and severe weather events have struck the region. 

iDE Mozambique country director, Deepak Khadka, said the initiative, which benefited 11,250 people, demonstrated effectiveness in building resilience and promoting economic stability in Cabo Delgado despite a range of challenges.

“Cabo Delgado has been severely impacted by cyclones and outbreaks of conflict. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are concentrating in the southern districts in search of greater security and humanitarian assistance. However, host communities themselves are deeply mired in poverty and struggle to cope during the best of times,” says Khadka.

“By addressing critical vulnerabilities and empowering communities with the tools and knowledge needed for long-term success, the initiative has set a strong foundation for continued progress. Sustained efforts and strategic investments in these approaches will be essential to ensuring lasting impacts for the region's most vulnerable populations.”

Khadka said the project demonstrated iDE’s commitment to addressing urgent humanitarian needs while fostering long-term resilience in some of Mozambique’s most vulnerable communities.

“Through innovative, market-based approaches, we are empowering displaced and host populations with sustainable solutions that not only provide immediate relief but also pave the way for economic recovery and growth.”

At the start of the initiative, 60.8% of participants, which included small holder farmers and internally displaced persons, were living below the international poverty line of $1.90 per day. By the conclusion, this number had dropped to 45.9%, reflecting a substantial improvement in economic well-being.

The impact evaluation, which used a “participatory and mix methods approach”, points out the initiative results were largely driven by increases in agricultural incomes and improved access to markets, as shown by statistically significant reductions in poverty risk among participants compared to control groups.

Food security among household participants showed remarkable improvement. Severe food insecurity among households decreased significantly, falling from 66.1% at baseline to 53.1% at endline. Concurrently, households experiencing moderate food insecurity increased from 17.3% to 37.0%, signaling a shift away from more severe conditions. Dietary diversity also improved, with a growing number of households consuming six or more food types by the end of the initiative.

Agricultural productivity and incomes experienced notable gains due to the initiative’s targeted interventions. The average agricultural income increased by approximately 82% per household, bolstered by widespread adoption of improved farming practices, which reached 99% at the endline compared to 64% at baseline. High-value crops, such as sesame and cassava, played a pivotal role in driving revenue growth, with sesame revenues alone increasing by over 160% during the initiative period.

Furthermore, enhanced market access—a cornerstone of the initiative—saw 63% of farmers reporting easy access to markets at the endline, a significant increase from 36% at baseline. Input trade fairs and strengthened local markets contributed to these outcomes, creating sustainable pathways for economic growth despite the ongoing security challenges in the area. 

iDE has held 16 “input trade and technology” fairs under the FRRI initiative in Cabo Delgado. An average of 2,000 farmers attended each of the voucher-based fairs, held during the main planting season and once again in the cool season when farmers plant vegetables. Farmers are provided small subsidies to purchase agricultural inputs and tools, building lasting relationships between farmers and input suppliers, and injecting capital into the local economy.

The evaluation employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data to provide a comprehensive assessment of the initiative's impact on smallholder farmers' livelihoods. In particular the evaluation assessed progress on key indicators, including household income, agricultural productivity, and resilience. The evaluation integrates both a quantitative survey and qualitative discussions to capture the experiences, attitudes, and outcomes of initiative participants, allowing for an in-depth understanding of how interventions affected their livelihoods. Additionally, the participatory aspect allowed for participants to deliberate collectively on what were the changes brought by the initiative most important to them.

Cabo Delgado is experiencing a multi-faceted crisis shaped by natural disasters, socio-political instability, and economic hardship. Over recent years, the region has been severely impacted by severe weather events, including the most recent Cyclone Chido as well as the more devastating Cyclone Kenneth and Idai in 2019, which disrupted agricultural productivity and destroyed critical infrastructure. Additionally, an ongoing armed insurgency has caused widespread displacement, with nearly 732,000 IDPs seeking refuge in safer southern districts.