InovAgro II – Increasing small scale farmers’ incomes through agribusiness market participation

InovAgro is an innovative development aid project in the agricultural sector, being implemented in northern and central Mozambique. It uses a methodology called Market Systems Development – instead of providing monetary help or other goods, it aims at shaping the agribusiness markets in favor of smallholder farmers. This short film introduces the project and its objectives, followed by the success story of Raimundo Saraiva, a farmer who managed to flourish and expand his agribusiness through the intervention of InovAgro.

InovAgro II – Intervention Area: Agricultural Commercialization

Apart from having access to quality seeds and modern agricultural planting techniques, one of the biggest challenges small scale farmers in northern and central Mozambique face is the question of where to sell their produce. The project InovAgro works in collaboration with local private commodity aggregators in establishing buying posts in the communities to guarantee small scale farmers an easily accessible output for their produce. The resulting relationship is a win-win situation for both the farmers and the local entrepreneurs.

InovAgro II – Intervention Area: Seed Sector

Access to certified quality seed often poses a huge difficulty for small scale farmers in northern and central Mozambique because of the lack of formal channels for sale and purchase of seeds. The project InovAgro contributes to changing this market dynamic, by approaching seed distribution companies and sparking their interest in this little explored market. Apart from that InovAgro supports the government’s efforts in formalizing and improving quality control of seeds on a national level.

InovAgro II – Intervention Area: Agricultural Savings Fund

Savings groups with the specific purpose to enable community members and smallholder farmers to buy certified seed and other agricultural inputs at the beginning of each production cycle are a new and innovative approach to development aid employed by the project InovAgro in central and northern Mozambique. The film takes us through the different steps of the savings process and tells the experiences of different group members.