Horti-Sempre

Horti-Sempre is a market systems development project, designed and financed by the Swiss Development Cooperation SDC to make the horticulture sector in Northern Mozambique more competitive against local and/or foreign imports through better quality products, increased productivity and more seasonal smallholder vegetable production.

At the same time, the project contributes to transforming the agriculture sector towards more sustainability, by building capacities of relevant system actors and developing inclusive, resource efficient and resilient agricultural systems, which strengthen natural processes and ecosystems.

Horticulture is seen as a competitive alternative to traditional cash crops such as tobacco, cotton, soya, and others and contributes to the diversification of income sources for smallholder farmers. During 2013 to 2016, the project played an important role in the growth of the horticulture production in the region. From 2017 to 2021, the project further developed the horticulture sector by making smallholder horticulture more competitive, increasing its productivity and quality, and improving the management of seasonality to enable a yearlong production.

The project applied a market systems development (MSD) approach. This approach aimed to transform the support and business ecosystem for smallholder farmers by providing access to information, services and resources that will be available beyond the end of the project cycle. The project focused its efforts on strengthening incentive mechanisms for public and private actors in horticultural value chains and making farmer-business models viable, replicable, scalable over time.

Irrigation solutions are one key aspect of the increase in production and productivity in vegetable production. The project concentrated its efforts on implementing group or individual irrigation projects. Irrigation solutions have become increasingly widespread and known among producers.

Improved and accessible inputs and post-harvest techniques are the other key aspect for the increased economic performance and competitiveness of farmers in the horticulture sector. Special attention was given to the promotion and dissemination of adequate agricultural inputs, new or improved seed varieties, access to support services including new packaging formats and marketing techniques. The articulation of the supply and demand side and the development of new customers were encouraged. All these project efforts led to the increase in productivity, product quality and competitiveness of the horticultural sector.

TIMELINE

Between 2017-2021, HORTI-SEMPRE interventions contributed to:

Increased productivity of six horticultural species: in average 40%

Year-round vegetable production introduced. Average Income increase for smallholder farmers of 32%

Specialised horticultural training of more than 1400 technicians

MOST NOTABLE RESULTS

Project activities contributed to achieving eight of the 18 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 1: Ending Poverty, SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 5: Gender Equality, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 10: Reducing Inequalities, SDG 12: Responsible Production and Consumption, SDG 13: Climate Action, and SDG 17: Partnerships for Achieving the Goals.

Outreach to 48,329 beneficiaries: The project was highly successful in its outreach to SHF. The project planned to support through different work streams 25,000 SHF (commercial, semi-commercial, subsistence SHF) to increase their net annual income by 30%. By December 2021, the project reached out to 48,329 producers through different work streams.
58% of farmers adopted knowledge and use of technologies and increased income by 32% (target 30%): Of the total number of producers who had access to the services of Horti-Sempre, 27,900 (58%) adopted knowledge and technology, which allowed them to increase their annual net income by 32%.
Productivity of average crop yield per SHF and year increased by 40% (compared to the target of 30%): The analysis of the average increase in net yield per crop was done by comparing the producers who benefited from the project with a control group, who did not have access to benefits.
The project aimed at gender equality and the inclusion of vulnerable people. The project supported a relatively high number of women. The project benefited 39% women and 61% men. The comparatively high number of female beneficiaries is very positive because most women of the project region are excluded from economic activities with financial returns.
The project leveraged an additional CHF 2,462,310 contributed by partners and beneficiaries to project activities, which corresponds to 35% of the project's budget of CHF 6,994,760. Besides the implementation challenges in a thin market ecosystem with several external shocks, the project could leverage considerable financial contributions.
A dynamic market for inputs and products: There was hardly any input supplier in the provinces when the project started. Today, we experience a progressive and dynamic development of the input market. The dynamics have changed, and the project can work and coordinate with strong market actors, both at international and national levels. Although there are many aspects to be improved and resolved, horticulture in the north of the country is becoming relevant.

RESULT ACHIEVEMENTS

RELEVANCE

The relevance of Horti-Sempre is high because most of the population generates its income from agriculture and the horticultural sector is dynamic, competitive with potential for rapid growth, which the project demonstrated.

EFFECTIVENESS

In its outreach to smallholder farmers, the project was highly successful. By December 2021, the project reached out with different services to 48,329 producers.

EFFICIENCY

The project generated a return on investment of CHF 2.52 per beneficiary. The per capita expenditure was CHF 249, the net income increase CHF 628. This means that for each CHF invested in a farmer, she/he generated an additional CHF 2.52.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability criterias considered the results at the outcome level, evidence of systemic change, institutional and financial sustainability, and capacities and incentives of the actors in the selected value chains.

Working in a growth stage sector in the thin markets of Northern Mozambique

Horti-Sempre, implemented by Swisscontact, focuses on the priority of increasing income opportunities in the northern provinces of Mozambique. These provinces have lagged behind on economic growth compared to the rest of the country and have become a focus region for the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) to reduce income disparities within Mozambique.

VOICES OF THE FIELD

VIDEOS

Improving horticultural production through Horti-Sempre project

VOICES OF CHANGE

The Horti-Sempre Project interventions aim to create changes that will benefit their target beneficiaries beyond the project period. Programmes are therefore designed to provide systemic and sustainable change.

Augmentation des revenus des petits exploitants horticoles dans le nord du Mozambique (en anglais)

Between 2017-2021, HORTI-SEMPRE interventions contributed to:

RESULT ACHIEVEMENTS

VOICES OF THE FIELD

Légaux

Dons

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