Feed the Future Mozambique Agricultural Innovations Activity (FTF Inova): Quarterly Report (October 1 – December 31, 2021)

FTF Inova has worked with market actors, such as businesses and government entities, to help them adopt new ways of doing business and delivering services, to help Mozambican agriculture become more competitive and inclusive. In Q1 of FY 2022, FTF Inova focused on promoting the sustainability and the scaling of innovative practices. Key priority strategies for this quarter included gathering more evidence of the impact of innovations on businesses and smallholder farmers in the core market systems. FTF Inova worked to gather and consolidate evidence of business cases for innovations supported for partners in presentation formats. During the quarter, evidence on innovations and the case for their replication or adaptation were prepared with the following partners: Klein Karoo (K2), Casa do Agricultor (CdA), Export Trading Group (ETG), Ka Da Terra (KdT), Miruku, Olam, and UniLurio Business School (UBS). FTF Inova also supported further integration of the support services into the core market systems (input distribution and supply chain). UBS continued to expand its services both in input distribution and supply chain management. UBS is working with agrodealers supported by companies like CdA and with output buyers working with suppliers' clubs schemes and the Government of Mozambique's Sustenta program's selected Emerging Commercial Agricultural Producers (PACE). Dissemination of learning to key stakeholders, especially scale agents in the market system and development partners, was another key focus area. FTF Inova developed uptake strategies to promote innovations/practices adopted by leading businesses that can be amplified to attract other investors and donors or to encourage coping and crowding in of other market actors. For example, during the quarter, KDT gave a testimonial in the Market Systems Development Network of Mozambique on the results of its innovation to build the sourcing system from domestic produce farmers to Mozambican supermarkets and other retailers and wholesalers. The following progress was registered during this quarter: seven business case presentations were prepared with partners, Novo Madal and ETG were supported with the rollout of supplier performance mechanisms to source sesame, nuts, and cashews, UBS was supported to identify interested off-takers and other programs interested in suppliers' performance mechanisms, the Input Pricing Study was shared to inform customer-oriented strategies for inputs with Bayer, and plans were made to disseminate to other input manufacturers and distributors. Additionally, Oruwera was supported in getting customer feedback on the different tactics introduced like women's buyer's clubs for improved seeds, Appload was supported in their installation of a call center for responding to client requests and feedback, and APROSE was supported as they planned for the next seed competition to get customer feedback. The quarter also marked the initiation of a new agricultural season and a time for reflection on learning and sharing for FTF Inova staff, partners, and stakeholders. Land preparation in both the south and north of Mozambique was underway by the beginning of the quarter in October 2021. This quarter FTF Inova worked with current and former partners (in the private and public sector) to primarily share the experiences of what innovations they had pursued over the past years. The quarter also ushered in the start of the rainy season, which is also when the country expects the recurrent flooding that affects agricultural production. FTF Inova observed agribusinesses to see which innovations encouraged investment in the delivery and use of improved agricultural inputs would continue, be replicated, and/or be adapted. FTF Inova's work in this quarter focused on promoting the sustainability and scaling of innovative practices, gathering evidence of the impact of innovations on businesses and smallholder farmers, and disseminating learning to key stakeholders. The activity's progress during this quarter included the preparation of seven business case presentations, the rollout of supplier performance mechanisms, and the sharing of the Input Pricing Study.