- UK Government-funded milling station will serve 700 coastal families and seed a community fund to move households away from mangrove extraction activities
Zambezia Province, Mozambique – Blue Forest, with funding from the UK government’s COAST Facility Programme, has delivered its first community rice milling station in Maquival, Zambezia Province, giving 700 farming families a local place to process their harvest and a new route to higher household income.
The mill tackles a problem that sits at the heart of Mozambique’s coastal economy. In the Zambezi Delta, home to some of the most extensive mangrove forests in Africa, rice is a staple crop and a vital source of cash. Without access to processing, farmers lose part of their harvest after it leaves the field and capture only a fraction of its value. When farm income falls short, households often turn to cutting mangroves for charcoal, a key driver of mangrove degradation along this coastline.
The grid-powered station gives local farmers a reliable way to process their rice close to home, cutting post-harvest losses and opening the door to better prices and new income.
The mill is also built to reinvest in the community. Part of the revenue it generates from milling fees will flow into a community fund that finances local businesses and alternative livelihood activities, helping families diversify their income. Every household that earns more from farming and enterprise is a household with less reason to cut mangroves, making stronger livelihoods and healthier forests two sides of the same investment.
This sustainable livelihood project falls under MozBlue, a 60-year partnership between Blue Forest, the Government of Mozambique and local communities to restore and protect mangroves while improving livelihoods across the Zambezi coast.
Phase 1 of MozBlue is co-developed by Blue Forest and Removall, and financed by Summit Removall, a joint venture between Removall and Sumitomo Corporation.
milling station in Maquival is the first of several sites. Further rice milling units are planned across the six localities the project, extending agricultural processing services and new income opportunities to more rural communities in the delta.
About MozBlue
MozBlue is Africa’s largest mangrove restoration project, spanning 155,000 hectares along 750 km of coastline across 12 districts in Zambezia and Sofala provinces. To date, the project has restored 2,000 hectares, planted more than 14 million mangroves and created over 1,600 local jobs. Alongside rice milling, MozBlue supports beekeeping, salt production, bamboo plantations, school clubs and a potable water supply system on Idugo Island. Phase 1 is co-developed by Blue Forest and Removall and financed by Summit Removall, with support from the UK COAST Facility Programme.
About Blue Forest
Blue Forest restores and protects mangrove forests in Africa and Asia, working hand in hand with communities to improve local livelihoods. Learn more at www.blueforest.co.
Source: Blue Forest / Press Release