For decades, men fought in the bush of Mozambique. The conflict is finally over. Austria supports the integration of former guerrilla fighters into society. They receive knowledge to support their families as farmers. They proudly show off their harvest at a local inspection.
Justino Jaime Canda moves slowly and silently through the dense Mozambican bush – armed with a machine gun. Every step is a carefully calculated part of his survival plan. Just don’t stand out. One misstep and it could cost the guerrilla fighter his life. That’s what the 64-year-old’s life was like for decades.
“When I was 23, I was captured and forced to fight,” the man says in a soft voice. Until June 2023, there was a military base in Sofala province. Despite a peace agreement after the end of the civil war in 1992, conflicts continued to arise. In 2019, another peace agreement followed. Among other things, he decided to integrate the so-called Renamo fighters and the former rebel force was allowed to set up a political party.
Austria and the EU also finance the DELPAZ project, which helps former guerrilla fighters integrate into society. Justino Jaime Canda is part of it.
“Now I finally have a house. I can raise our children together with my wife,” says Justino happily. Thanks to DELPAZ, he now knows how to grow grains, fruits and vegetables. He swapped his machine gun for the pesticide sprayer. “I protect our crops from pests with a water mixture of soap and garlic.”
“A life in peace – that’s all people want”
During a visit by Austrian journalists, the small farmers proudly show how they make humus and protect their crops from periods of drought. They present their harvest at a market. 10 metical for an avocado – that’s the equivalent of 14 cents. “What people want here is a life in peace – that’s all they want,” says Michael Butschek, born in Lower Austria and responsible for the DELPAZ project in Sofala.
Austria supports the DELPAZ peace project
The Austrian Development Cooperation Agency (ADA) and the EU are financing the project. With 12 million euros, agricultural knowledge, seeds and equipment can be passed on. Using energy from photovoltaic systems, water is pumped from the river and the fields are irrigated. Climate change in particular – including droughts and cyclones – is causing problems for thousands of farmers.
Justino is one of them. And he is grateful for it: “My only concern is the field – not whether I will die in the war.”
Under the leadership of Mariette Vreugdenhil, the Vienna University of Technology in Mozambique has developed an early warning system for drought that uses satellite data to prevent crop losses.
“Drought can lead to crop losses, especially if plants do not get enough moisture,” Mariette Vreugdenhil explains. “Normally, droughts are predicted based on precipitation and temperature measurements. But with satellites, we can also directly measure the water content in the soil and thus determine whether the roots of the plants have enough water available.”
“Sentinel-1, a satellite of the Copernicus program, orbits the Earth in about an hour and a half. It is a radar satellite that sends microwaves with very low energy to the Earth. “We can use the backscatter of the signal to calculate, for example, the moisture content of the soil or the properties of the Earth’s surface,” says Vreugdenhil. “At TU Wien, we have developed algorithms to determine the water content of the soil based on the Sentinel-1 observations with an unprecedented resolution.”
NGOs pass on knowledge to farmers
The early warning system is not only intended for scientific purposes, but also for practical applications on the ground. “We work together with the Red Cross, the World Food Programme and the Ministry of Agriculture in Mozambique,” Vreugdenhil explains. “Aid organisations can use the early warning system to identify areas at risk of drought. This is especially useful in Mozambique, where travelling to remote areas can take a long time.”
Farmers in Mozambique can benefit directly from this information. “Agricultural advisors and aid organizations can help farmers prevent crop failure or support them in using seed alternatives. Anything is better than waiting for drought to cause widespread socio-economic damage, such as food insecurity,” Vreugdenhil emphasizes. “In some areas of Mozambique, farmers can irrigate their fields when there is not enough rain. However, this is not the case in most countries in Africa.”
Cyclones and climate change ravage Mozambique
The need for such systems is highlighted by the current weather phenomena in Mozambique. “The country is severely affected by weather and climate-related disasters such as droughts, but also flooding as a result of cyclones such as Idai in 2019. Since then, the country has been hit by another nineteen tropical storms,” Vreugdenhil reports. “In addition, we expect more frequent sudden droughts, which can develop significantly faster than normal droughts. The climate phenomenon El Niño can also have a strong impact on climate risks in Mozambique.”
“Currently, the project is focused on selected districts in the provinces of Inhambane and Sofala. In the long term, the early warning system for droughts should be available throughout Mozambique,” explains Lisa Leitenbauer, ADA Office Manager in Mozambique. Austria is financing the system with 468,000 euros.
The early warning system for drought therefore represents an important step in supporting agricultural production and mitigating the impacts of extreme climatic events in Mozambique.
This trip was funded in part by the ADA.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
