Context
Mozambique has a long coastline affected by extreme weather events such as cyclones. During the 2018-2021 period, cyclones Idai, Keneth, and Ana caused myriad deaths and injuries, alongside the destruction of homes, health units, schools, and crops. The impact of extreme events is predicted to worsen, affecting the most vulnerable sectors including agriculture, water resources and energy. Since the country is highly dependent on agriculture, it is imperative to implement smart agriculture practices that increase productivity, improve food security, bolster resilience, and restore degraded agro-ecosystems.
An estimated 80% of producers in the Central region of Mozambique, specifically in the Zambezi Valley, use motor pumps in the irrigation process, which significantly contributes to water pollution through the spillage of oils, lubricants and fuel. The use of fuels fossil (charcoal and firewood) contributes to air pollution, as does the reliance upon inorganic fertilizers. There is a lack of capacity and technical knowledge for the dissemination and adoption of sustainable technologies due to the absence of a local budget for the management and implementation of climate resilience programs and a sustainable mechanism for the continuity of post-financing projects, as well as lacking interinstitutional coordination and access to basic information on the technology diffusion process that underpins decision-making.
CTCN Support
The objective of this technical assistance is to develop a fit for purpose system for one selected farm in the Zambezi Valley that includes aquaponic, biodigester, bio composting, and hydraulic management systems (including water storage and solar pumping integrated systems for drip irrigation). The assistance will diagnose the needs of local farmers and benchmark international best practices and develop a complete flowchart of the system including the collection and pumping of the water through the photovoltaic system, the use of integrated reservoirs for fish production coupled with horticulture (aquaponics), the generation of compost, and the generation of biogas and biofertilizers as well as organic food for the selected farm. The cost of the fit-for-purpose system will be estimated, and finally, training materials and workshops will be developed.
Expected Impact
The system will reduce GHG emissions through the use of biogas and clean energy, reduce the use of inorganic fertilizers, develop efficient irrigation systems, increase food and nutrition security, and support income generation. It is expected that additional funding will be leveraged to test and pilot the system in a second location and to scale it up to other locations in the Zambezi and throughout the country. The technical assistance is aligned with Mozambique’s NDC, updated in November 2021, in which agriculture is featured as a top priority alongside improved capacity for integrated water resources management, including the building of climate resilient hydraulic infrastructure. Additionally, the assistance will support the improved integration of women in the water-food-energy nexus.
Seeking Experts
The UN Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) is inviting its Network members to assist Mozambique. Interested qualitifed firms are invited to submit Expression of Interest(EOI) to paricipate in the upcoming solicitation for the implementation of Water-Energy-Food nexus using digital technologies for local communities in Mozambique. Please refer to the detail documents here.
In case you are not a CTCN network member yet, you may still apply here.
