Horticulture

Evaluating improvements in vegetable value chains in Mozambique associated with closer market linkages

A group of boxes with fruit in them

Overview

This small research and development activity (SRA) aimed to understand how smallholder farmers in Mozambique respond to closer links to markets.

The ACIAR-funded 'VINESA' project, Vegetables for Income and Nutrition in Eastern and Southern Africa (FSC/2012/111), established 'Best Practice Hubs' in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique to help smallholder farmers supply nutritious vegetables to urban markets. This project was part of a broader effort to improve nutrition in Africa and improve the livelihoods of rural communities.

The project was successful in Tanzania and Ethiopia, but Malawi and Mozambique lagged behind. An end-of project review recommended that a supplementary effort, with extra time and resources, be made in these last two countries, but ACIAR's further investment was limited to this six-month SRA, supporting a focused effort in Mozambique.

The SRA addressed two research questions:

  1. Do smallholder farmers, trained through Best Practice Hubs, gain more from their increased competitiveness in traditional wet markets or from entering more lucrative but riskier and more demanding supermarket value chains?
  2. Does a market intermediary - helping smallholder farmers to access these demanding but lucrative markets - help farmers to achieve better returns?