Expansion of vegetable farm in Mozambique

PLAN FOR INCREASING AND EXPANSION OF THE PRODUCTION OF A VEGETABLE FARM IN INHAMBANE/MOZAMBIQUE

 At the end of 2019 a crowd fund campaign was started for a water well for a vegetable farm for my former employee José Bata. Thanks to all the donations he was able to make a very successful start on a site of almost 10,000 m2 directly behind his house. A borehole has been dug that provides ample water for the entire site and all crops are irrigated with drip lines. 

At the beginning of 2020, as soon as the water supply had been secured, he started to grow various vegetable crops. Plantbeds, fertilized with homemade compost and dried chicken manure, supplemented with NPK fertilizer granules, have been laid out throughout the site. 

He now produces on about 15.000 m2,  mainly tomatoes, which are always in demand and easy to sell because of their good quality.

In addition  he grows lettuce and a few other local vegetables. In less than two years, José has managed to set up a thriving business which is admired by both white and black neighbours. This season he has also succesfully started the production of strawberries which are highly asppreciated and in great demand.

José has now reached a point where he cannot actually meet the local demand, but also does not have the resources to realize a further expansion of production. On the contrary, in order to support his wife and three children, he still has to earn a part-time income at a nearby lodge.

The purpose of this update is to bring this situation to the attention of all previous donors and interested parties and to ask for their help again to assist him with the next step, be it by lending or donation so that he can eventually operate completely independently and generate sufficient income not only to support his own family, but also his brother and business partner and at least three more employees. In addition, his company could set an example for neighboring residents owning land who would like to join forces with him.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SURROUNDINGS AND LOCATION OF JOSÉ'S COMPANY.

Inhambane is one of the oldest towns in Mozambique and the area is known for its beautiful beaches and is a popular holiday resort, especially with South Africans. It is a peaceful area and is far (> 1500km) from northern Mozambique where rebels have caused a lot of misery in the past two years, but are now almost driven out.

José Bata's vegetable business is located about 15 km east of Inhambane, in the middle of a beautiful tourist area. The company has been set up to supply the dozens of lodges, restaurants and hotels in the Inhambane area with fresh vegetables that are not produced locally and are largely imported from South Africa. The local production of vegetables is very limited in surface area and range.

In the warm summer months (November to April) it is hardly possible to grow vegetables and mainly maize, peanuts and sweet potatoes are grown, which can still thrive at the high temperatures, provided there is enough rain. However these crops do not fetch such good prices as tomatoes and other vegetables.

José Bata owns a piece of land behind his house of approximately 15.000 m2 . The soil in this area is sandy and not very fertile, but with a good water supply, compost and fertilizers, vegetables can be grown very succesfully.

In addition to his own site, he has an option to double the total surface area of his company by taking over a neighbouring site of approximately 10.000 m2. José has already negotiated to make immediate use of about 2500 m2 for a reasonable compensation, where he plants top quality, high yielding tomatoes which fetch good prices in the summer months.

CURRENT SITUATION OF THE FARM.

The farm now has its own borehole with a water reservoir of 5 m3 on a concrete support. The borehole provides more than enough water for the entire area. The majority is irrigated with drip lines. However, in summer time (November-March), with temperatures often above 35⁰C, the water requirement is very high. Therefore he has installed an extra water tank of 10.000 m3 and a high-pressure pump to ensure sufficient water supply through all the drip lines during the hottest periods of the day.

Over the past two years, he has set up numerous vegetable beds with various soil improvers, such as humus-rich soil from a neighboring wetland area (matope), homemade compost, chicken and cow manure, mixed with NPK granular fertilizer.

The vegetables are grown on beds of 20-40 m in length and 1 m in width, mainly planted with tomatoes, lettuce and leaf cabbage and on a smaller scale various vegetables such as white and red cabbage, peppers, red beets, chard, onions and potatoes to gain experience with cultivation and marketing. In doing so, he has taken into account as much as possible local preferences that are quite different from those of South African tourists. The cultivation of all the above-mentioned crops went well beyond expectations. The yields were excellent, the quality was always very good and his products were always in high demand.

The warm summer months in tropical lowlands are a big challenge for all local farmers and most small businesses are faced with unreliable yields some maize, cassava and peanuts and depending heavily on the fluctuating rainfall. Often the harvest fails completely because there is no rain at critical moments in the development of the plants.

Because José has secured the water supply for the entire site, he can also grow crops, which thrive in the summer months and also provide good cash, such as corn, sweet potatoes and watermelons. However the most profitable crop in the summer time is tomatoes, but during the intense summer heat in December to March even the fairly heat resistant tomatoes require some shade to set sufficient fruit.

In order to be able to manage his own livelihood, two staff members and regular purchase of means of production (seed, fertilizers, etc.), he would have to increase production further and, above all, switch to vegetables that fetch better prices in the summer such as tomatoes. It is therefore intended to cover part of the vegetable beds with a shade net which requires a significant investment for him.

So far, José has not had any problems with the sale of his products. His company has already gained a good reputation in the region, both at the supermarkets as well as the lodges and restaurants. The two local supermarkets readily buy everything he offers.

In essence, he could sell at least twice as much as he produces now, which is a reason to present this plan for expansion and intensification of his production.

Key to optimise his income in the summer months is the provision of a shade net which may protect most of the tomato beds.

José Bata has proven that he has an excellent entrepreneurial spirit and eagerly absorbs and applies all technical information. He works on his farm with great dedication and uses every hour he has left besides his job at the lodge to work on the farm. He now has four men working for him. He often gets help from volunteers with weeding and harvesting. He is determined to devote himself fully to his vegetable business and to make it his “life's work”.

José's farm is becoming an increasingly important example for the region and many neighbours stop by to see how he grows such beautiful crops on such poor soil.

The total financing requirement to ensure that José Bata can generate sufficient income all year round and is no more dependant on an addtitional income from his job at the lodge, is nearly € 10.500.

  Total investment

Shade net                                     € 5,500

Various materials*)                        € 500

Expansion neighbouring fields € 3,500

Total € 10,500

*) driplines, compost materials, chicken manure and NPK fertilizers

If you would like to support his farm, please donate on the crowd funding site

https://getfunded.nl/campagne/8553-waterput-voor-een-groentetuin-in-mozambique

or contact Rik Le Poole ([email protected]) in Amersfoort, The Netherlands.