Plano operacional para o desenvolvimento agrário de Moçambique (2015 - 2019)

Regulamento sobre o processo de Avaliação do impacto Ambiental (Decreto 54/2015)

Land is critical to the economic, social and cultural development of many countries.

A gestão directa ou indirecta da terra é realizada por actores diversos, como seja, aqueles que intervêm nas Comunidades Locais (artigo 24 da Lei de Terras de 1997), os titulares dos direitos sobre a terra (singulares, investidores) etc, para além da Administração Pública (AP). Contudo, o papel de gestão da terra reservado a AP é muito importante e estratégico.

Mozambique has become a hot spot in the global rush for land in the last decade. Growing investments in sectors such as mining, hydrocarbons, forest plantations and industrial agriculture most often target rural land held by local communities under customary law, and conflicts between communities and investors often arise. Existing laws regulating land are poorly implemented and enforced, which is due to the power imbalances existing between the government, companies and local communities.

The Testing REDD+ socioeconomic baseline study of the Beira landscape corridor confirmed the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation as unsustainable agriculture practices, including shifting cultivation and fire used to clear land, to hunt and to collect honey. The role of hunting and honey collection shows how harvesting non timber forest products (often referred to as NTFPs) can degrade forests — because of the use of fire.

Sustainable agricultural approaches such as agroecology can help producers increase productivity while protecting the environment and strengthening resilience to climate change. Nonetheless, policymakers rarely support them on a large scale and take-up remains low. This report analyses the factors determining the adoption of sustainable practices in Mozambique, exploring whether a common understanding of ‘sustainable agriculture’ exists, how this is reflected in policy and practice, and what drives farmers (not) to adopt them.

Em Moçambique há um forte apoio à agricultura sustentável: métodos como sistemas agroflorestais e agricultura de conservação são promovidos cada vez mais pelo Ministério da Agricultura, a sociedade civil, organizações de camponeses e agências de desenvolvimento. Resultados de investigações sugerem que essas práticas aumentam a produtividade, são mais resilientes e economicamente acessíveis. Apesar disso, a adoção pelos pequenos produtores permanece baixa.

Uncertainties in the international carbon market make it imperative the UN’s REDD+ framework engages a wider spectrum of the private sector than just international companies and investors. Countries with REDD+ programmes should work with their domestic private sector to provide the missing momentum. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are crucial, as these usually dominate in forest- and agriculture-based economies.

Charcoal is the main cooking energy source for people living in Maputo city. It is also a crucial source of income for rural producers in Mabalane district, a key supplier of Maputo’s charcoal. But Mabalane’s forests — which provide the wood for charcoal — also supply rural populations with construction materials, firewood and food. Our research shows that the lack of community management in Mabalane’s charcoal trade has disadvantaged communities, widening income inequality and causing ecological depletion.

O carvão vegetal é a principal fonte de energia para grande parte dos habitantes da cidade de Maputo. É também, uma fonte crucial de rendimento para os produtores rurais no distrito de Mabalane, um dos principais centros de abastecimento de carvão de Maputo. Mas as florestas de Mabalane – que fornecem a madeira para o carvão vegetal – também abastecem as populações rurais com materiais de construção, lenha e alimentos.

The Testing REDD+ in the Beira Landscape Corridor of Mozambique initiative closed in December. Over nearly four years, a consortium of public academic and research institutions, NGOs and social enterprises, supported by the Government of Norway, has explored what drives deforestation and forest degradation. The programme trialled four interventions: to expand conservation agriculture, to make logging more sustainable, to harvest and use biomass energy more efficiently, and to promote sustainable production of an important non-timber product. We now know what works.