SIMLESA in Mozambique
In Angonia District, of Tete Province, Mozambique,maize is intercropped with sugar beans, known as manteiga in the local language. The people here speak Chichewa, which is also spoken in Malawi. Weed control is a major problem in the region as herbicides are not widely used, and farmers do not always understand that they must weed all year long, not just when the crop begins to emerge. The farmers agree that weeding is easier on flat ground as compared to the ridges used in the farmers’ conventional practice. “Our ancestors used [ridges] to control against soil erosion, and we have continued to do so”, says Ernesto Jose, one of the farmers.
SIMLESA is a four-year (July 2010-December 2013) program funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The aim of SIMLESA program is to improve farm-level food security, in the context of climate risk and change, through the development of more resilient, profitable and sustainable farming systems that overcome food insecurity for significant numbers of farm families in eastern and southern Africa. SIMLESA promotes the use of adapted maize-legume technologies as well as improved varieties and develops
Food security is a major concern in the east and southern Africa region. While the food crisis has receded somewhat at the international level, within the region urban food prices remain relatively high. Among the food crops, maize is the main staple and legumes an important dietary protein source for the rural poor. Legumes are widely used as an intercrop in maize systems, and are also significant source of income for women. Seasonal variability causes wide swings in food crop yields, including maize and legumes. Rain-fed maize-legume cropping systems show considerable promise in boosting productivity and helping reverse the decline in soil fertility that is a fundamental cause of low smallholder productivity in the region.