Over the last decade significant offshore gas reserves were discovered in the Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique. The discovery of gas reserves, along with large deposits of rubies and graphite, is likely to transform the poorest provinces of Mozambique – including Cabo Delgado – into engines of growth and development. But as history has shown, extractive industries do not always lead to sustainable and inclusive growth. A study commissioned by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands recommended to direct development investments to non-extractive industries to counterbalance an economy likely to be based on point-source extractives. Among these include the horticulture and soy industries and the need to strengthen their respective value chains.

The Value chain and youth development programme in Cabo Delgado is a four-year partnership programme (August 2019-July 2023) led by SNV. Funded by the Netherlands embassy in Mozambique, the programme is being implemented in partnership with TechnoServe (TNS) with a total value of € 9 million.

The programme capitalises on the partners’ experience in carrying out inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient agriculture, food security and approaches to nutrition. With a focus on the most vulnerable populations in Cabo Delgado, SNV – as technical lead for the programme’s youth employment, nutrition, and horticulture portfolio – will,

• create employment for 5,000 young people (ages 18-30 years old),
• improve the health and nutrition of 1,500 families, and
• promote the production of vegetables in Cabo Delgado for local and regional markets to benefit  1,584 family farms.

TechnoServe – a non-profit organisation operating that links people to information, capital, and markets in close to 30 countries and has helped millions to create lasting prosperity for their families and communities – is responsible for soy value chain enhancement. An estimated  2,476 smallholder farmers are expected to benefit from TNS’ interventions. Specifically, TNS will strengthen the leadership and management abilities of Agribusiness Partners (ABPs) and Small Commercial Farmers (SCFs) to achieve quality soy production among smallholder farmers.

In order to contribute to long-term systemic change, the programme engages in three mutually reinforcing and complementary levels of intervention:

• value chain,
• farm and village, and
• young people and women.

For enquiries or more information, contact the programme’s manager, Gancilei Soca, by email (asoca@snv.org).