Outlook on Mozambique’s Agribusiness as a Driving Force for Family Farmers

Abstract

Family farming is the predominant mode of agricultural production in the world and in Mozambique, producing food, preserving traditional food systems, contributing to a balanced diet, and safeguarding the world’s agro-biodiversity. Micro and family farms have the potential to deal with the complex set of challenges faced in the region, if they are provided with the necessary support, such as agri-technology assistance, infrastructures, and organizational development, to boost local economies and lift communities out of poverty. The present review aimed at showing whether, and to what extent, services of entrepreneurial value could be provided by agrarian incubators to nurture small farmers, namely youngsters and women, to meet market requirements and make a living in the agriculture sector. The focus was on the clarification of the question to what extent smallholder farmers are currently educated at professional schools on how to become successfully self-employed. The answer to this question is needed to outline the current mismatch between vocational agriculture education of farmers and actual market requirements. It was evident that farmers are not educated to successfully meet market requirements and that agriculture incubators considering investment in agribusiness, could be a promising alternative or useful addition for farmers’ vocational preparation. Incubators provides suitable plans for market technologies with agritech start-ups delivering state-of-the-art means to motivate local adaptation, and use, of sustainable practices. There is the need to investigate how to maintain and improve family farmers’ organizations, creating vibrant and inclusive rural societies, while increasing agricultural output with product quality and safety.

Consumer Preferences in the Purchase of Agri-Food Products: Implications for the Development of Family Farms

“…Economic insecurity and social vulnerability, a trend towards larger and more specialised farms in Europe, and limited access to finance, infrastructure, and markets are some of the challenges currently facing family farms [13][14][15]. The fight against poverty is another issue in which the family farm, through its traditional (stabilising) role, transforms into a model of European agriculture that reinforces traditions [16,17]. Altogether, family farms have several competitive advantages, as follows (Figure 2): [18][19][20][21][22][23]).…”