
Atija Amade Calima, a 41-year-old mother of two, lives in the village of Namara in Balama, a district of Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique.
One of the countryâs poorest regions, Cabo Delgado lags behind the rest of Mozambique across nearly all development indicators, including access to education and employment. Despite its natural resources and enormous economic potential, the region is embattled by climate change and a conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed housing, infrastructure and farmland.
Against this backdrop of instability, NCBA CLUSA is implementing the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Oliphana project, helping smallholder farmers like Atija build prosperity and well-being for their families and communities by generating income through agricultural production and connection to markets.
Before she first heard about Oliphana in November 2021, Atija farmed 4 hectares (about 10 acres), growing enough food to feed her family. She didnât think of her farm as a business until she attended a workshop for cotton producers in her village led by the project team.
Since then, she has invested in her farming business, purchased more land and now grows cotton, corn, boer beans, cowpeas, sesame seeds and soybeans on close to 30 acres.
And sheâs leading change at the community level, too.
Atija has completed the Oliphana projectâs courses in conservation agriculture, small business management, and savings and revolving credit. She is also a champion of the Gender Action Learning System (GALS), a community-led empowerment methodology that leverages inclusion principles to improve the income, food and nutrition security of vulnerable people while mainstreaming gender equality. Atija currently serves as vice president of her district-level farmers association.
During the 2023/24 growing season, she dedicated 1.5 hectares to vegetable production, including onions, cabbage, garlic, beets and tomatoes. She grows bananas and sugar cane to sell locally and, as a food security strategy for her household, produces nutrient-dense sweet potatoes.
Thanks to the savings group she continues to lead in her village, Atija was able to invest in her farming business. In addition to purchasing more land, she was able to build a home in Balama for her family.
âI will continue to [farm], save and practice the GALS methodology,â Atija said. âI already implement these tools in my life and within my family to improve gender equality and the economic empowerment of my family.â
The project is restoring dignity, hope and livelihoods, and helping smallholder farmers like Atija find pathways to economic empowerment.
For more than 25 years, NCBA CLUSA has continuously led climate-smart agriculture, food security, adult literacy, youth and gender, producer organization and market development activities in Mozambique.
NCBA CLUSAâs Oliphana project is a dynamic partnership that is galvanizing public and private investments to support 12,000 individualsâmostly youth, women and internally displaced persons (IDPs)âto enhance their resilience so they can better withstand future shocks in the region.