Improving the Livelihood of Women Smallholder Farmers

Tomás Chiconela of Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique will help improve rice production in women-run smallholder farms by establishing ducks and azolla plants as environmentally friendly alternatives to fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides. The ducks protect crops from pests and control weed growth, which saves time and energy needed for hand weeding as well as providing meat and eggs to boost protein consumption, and azolla is a proven biofertilizer that acts as a potent organic nitrogen source. Farmers will be trained to handle the livestock and implement the new technology, and livestock disease clinics will be established.