Maputo, Oct. 1, 2026 (Lusa) - The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) launched a plan on Thursday to mobilise investment to strengthen agri-food systems and build the resilience of Mozambican agriculture amid growing climate risks.
Augusto Correia, coordinator of the FAO's Climate Resilience and Investment Promotion in the Agricultural System project, announced the initiative in Maputo on the sidelines of a seminar to seek feedback on the proposed Climate Investment Plan for Agri-Food Systems and to launch a call for private-sector project concept notes.
According to Correia, the plan will serve as the basis for project proposals, which the team will compile and submit to financial institutions and partners in international cooperation, to mobilise resources for the agricultural sector.
«One of these institutions is the Green Climate Fund itself. We intend to mobilise international investment, as well as domestic investment from both the public and private sectors, to finance climate initiatives in agriculture. Essentially, this is the general concept we have in mind,» Correia said.
The initiative, initially planned to last one year, aims to address funding access challenges and to support the preparation of investment proposals aligned with climate and market requirements.
According to the FAO, the programme is taking place against a backdrop in which Mozambique's agri-food systems continue to face challenges such as droughts, floods, cyclones and other extreme events associated with climate change.
Correia explained that the plan aims to identify priority value chains, financing needs, investment opportunities, and possibilities for public and private co-financing, developed in collaboration with government institutions linked to the agriculture and climate change sectors.
«The idea is to involve small, medium and large-scale producers, as well as input suppliers, and operators in the processing, transport, banking and financial sectors, to say that there will be an integrated approach to promoting climate resilience in agriculture,» he explained.
With the launch of the concept notes, the FAO aims to equip proposers with the technical capacity to justify the climate relevance of projects, identify beneficiaries, demonstrate alignment with national priorities and define appropriate financing and implementation mechanisms.
The aim is to promote scalable, financially viable investments that generate concrete results in the climate, economic and social spheres.
Mozambique's government representative, Anacleta Chiangua, highlighted the initiative's importance in light of the climate opportunities facing the country, particularly given the forecast that the El Niño phenomenon will occur during the 2026/2027 season.
«It reinforces the need for us to anticipate opportunities and invest in the resilience of our agri-food systems,» she said.
Chiangua noted that the last El Niño event, which occurred between 2023 and 2024, demonstrated the significant economic and social impacts of such phenomena, including reduced agricultural production and heightened food insecurity in various regions of the country.
For the 2026/2027 season, she added that estimates point to significant investment needs, including around $142 million (€121 million) earmarked for water supply interventions in 52 districts likely to require additional water resources.
«This scenario reinforces the fact that investment in climate resilience is not just a matter for the future, but a necessity that demands action in the present,» she concluded.
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