Mozambique is set to receive a $22.8 million agricultural grant from the African Development Bank to tackle rising food insecurity and malnutrition amid increasing climate-related challenges.

The East African nation, home to over 35 million people, currently produces only half of the rice it consumes annually, around 600,000 tons, making it heavily reliant on imports and exposing consumers to higher costs, the AfDB noted.

The funding will support the Rice Value Chain and Climate Resilience Project, scheduled to start in December 2025 and run for five years.

The initiative aims to quadruple rice yields from 1 ton to 4 tons per hectare and cut post-harvest losses from 26 per cent to 12 per cent, while equipping 30,000 smallholder farmers with the skills and tools to boost Mozambique’s rice self-sufficiency from 50 per cent to 75 per cent by 2030.

Infrastructure development will be a key component of the project, with plans to rehabilitate 1,000 hectares of irrigation systems and construct five small-scale milling factories to improve production efficiency.

The AfDB-supported project will deploy climate-smart technologies and resilient rice varieties capable of withstanding both floods and droughts.

“By targeting the most vulnerable populations and focusing on climate-smart technologies, the grant will create a lasting impact on food security and rural livelihoods,” Macmillan Anyanwu, AfDB’s Country Manager for Mozambique, disclosed in a press release.

The AfDB estimates that RIVACREP could raise household incomes from $590 to $1,000 per year.

“This [the RIVACREP] will contribute to building a more self-reliant and resilient economy, reducing external dependency while creating opportunities for youth and women,” Neeraj Vij, AfDB’s Regional Sector Manager, stated.

The project’s importance is highlighted by Mozambique’s worsening malnutrition crisis, where child stunting in Zambezia province stands at a troubling 44 per cent, the AfDB reports.