Parque Nacional da Gorongosa Moçambique

Sustainable Agriculture Providing Locally-Grown Produce to Chitengo Restaurant

Jun 30, 2008

Farmers from the Vinho Sustainable Agriculture Association have begun to provide the restaurant at Chitengo Camp in Gorongosa National Park with fresh, locally grown, sustainable produce, including cabbage, lettuce, corn, and tomatoes.  It is a win-win arrangement:  the farmers of Vinho have a large, new market from which to earn a good living, the restaurant staff saves on transport costs, and staff and visitors at Chitengo Camp enjoy healthier food. 

The arrangement between the Vinho farmers and Chitengo’s restaurant grew out of local initiatives to improve farming techniques, an initiative which is being supported by the Gorongosa Restoration Project’s human development programs. One such initiative is the sustainable agriculture market farm run by twelve women farmers in Vinho, which recently received a microfinancing loan from the Gorongosa Restoration Project to purchase and install a pump, water storage tank, and drip irrigation system.  The system was installed in late June and is already helping the women to increase their production of vegetables that they can sell to the Chitengo Restaurant and elsewhere.

<Read more about the Project’s involvement in promoting sustainable  agriculture in Vinho>