Only 9% of Mozambique households faced acute food shortages in 2022, down from 30% in 2019. The Stats Office reported this drop.
Cabo Delgado has a pressing issue. A quarter of its families are still food insecure. Last year, the number was 49%.
Years of violent conflict have forced many in Cabo Delgado to find safer homes.
Other provinces show better numbers. In Niassa, only 2% of families face food insecurity. In Manica, it’s 4%, and in Maputo, 5%.
Farm numbers are rising. They went up from 4.13 million in 2018 to 4.61 million in 2022. Most are in Zambezia and Nampula.
Corn is the top crop. About 1.82 million hectares were used for it in 2022. Total farm output increased to 2.38 million tons.
Almost a third of this yield came from Tete province.
Mozambique saw 2.42 million hectares used for cereal farming in 2022. Leading provinces are Sofala, Tete, and Zambezia.
Cabo Delgado’s cereal farming has decreased. It went from 208,525 hectares in 2018 to 158,139 hectares in 2022.
Modernization is underway. Farmers had 2,580 tractors and 2,269 plows in 2022.
Credit for farming and fishing dropped from €1.73 (US$1.9) billion to €1.59 billion between 2018 and 2022.
Beef production rose to 20,051 tons in 2022. More than half came from Maputo.
The country’s population is now 31.6 million. About 65.5% live in rural areas, the Stats Office says.
Background
Mozambique has struggled with hunger for years. Previous food crises were often linked to natural disasters and conflicts.
Cabo Delgado, particularly hard-hit, is a focus for aid groups. Its food crisis is mainly due to ongoing violence.
Corn, a staple in Mozambique, is getting more land. This might explain some of the decrease in food insecurity.
Zambezia and Nampula have the most farms. These provinces are vital for the country’s food supply.
Credit for farming took a dip recently. This suggests less investment in agriculture, which could be a concern.