A Critical Analysis of the Potential for Cereal Production in the Central Region of Mozambique

Abstract

The study addressed the challenges of low cereal production in the Central Region of Mozambique. There is a persistent low level cereal production as evidenced by acute hunger prevailing in the region, despite the condusive environment, example favourable climatic conditions and good fertile soil for cereal production in this region. The study sought to close the knowledge gap left by the scarcity of research in this area. More specifically, this study investigated the main causative factors for the low production of cereals in this part of the country. The study utilized the qualitative research paradigm, and multiple technical methods were used in the investigation including interviews, field observation, document review, questionnaires and group discussion as the main method of data collection. Data were analysed and categorized for common themes and patterns. The central theme of the analysis highlights the overall cereal production of the central region of Mozambique in relation to the other regions. The findings revealed that cereal production in the central region of Mozambique is very low due to a number of different interrelated number of factors, among others lack of new or modern farming techniques such as irrigation, use of high yielding varieties of seeds and utilization of mechanical power for cultivation of cereals on a large scale. The concluding discussion addresses the implications for improving training approaches to farmers, to help them develop valid and coherent personal-practical theories that match with production reality. It also concludes that grain production in the central region of Mozambique is low due to lack of new technologies, lack of quality seed, lack of funding for this sector by government and gross under utilization of natural resources as most of the work is done manually hence low grain production. The researcher therefore, recommends the use of cereal production models of other countries such as, China, India and Brazil joined in 100% the green revolution (Fan, 2009) be in demented in the central region of Mozambique. The study also recommends that the region adopts some of the cereal production approaches like the use of modern agricultural technologies, improved quality seeds, the government should show commitment towards improving production by pumping more money into the agricultural sector in order to achieve sustainable food security for the population of the region in particular and in Mozambique as a whole.