There are 3.8 million farms in Mozambique, the vast majority of which are less than ten hectares in size, according to the preliminary results from the Agricultural and Livestock Survey (CAP) undertaken in 2009-10.The National Statistics Institute (INE) released the results on Wednesday.The INE gives the total number of farms in the country as 3,827,754. Of these 3,801,259 (99.6 per cent) are classified as “small”, covering less than 10 hectares. Just 841 are considered “large” covering 50 hectares or more, and 25,654 fall between these limits and are considered as “medium”.The survey found that the total area under cultivation was 5,632,787 hectares. Of this figure, 5,428,571 hectares (96.4 per cent) are on small farms, 130,651 hectares on medium sized farms, and 73,565 hectares are on the handful of large farms.A significant number of farms are tiny. 44,142 cover less than 0.1 hectares, and 381,298 are half a hectare or less in size.
The households that own the farms, the INE says, account for 75.1 per cent of the total number of households in the country. 27.4 of the households running farms are headed by women. As for the main food crops, 69 per cent of the farms grow maize, 63 per cent grow cassava, 14 per cent grow rice, and 39 per cent grow groundnuts.The most commonly cultivated cash crop is sesame. 7.43 per cent of farms grow sesame. It is followed by sugar cane (5.92 per cent), tobacco (2.91 per cent) and cotton (2.21 per cent). Over 80 per cent of the farms grow no cash crops at all.The most important tree crops are cashew nuts and copra. 1.38 million farms (36 per cent) have cashew trees on their land, and the total number of cashew trees in the country is put at 38.2 million.871,498 farms (23 per cent) have coconut palms. There are 24.3 million of these palm trees, overwhelmingly in just two provinces – 16.3 million in Inhambane and 4.5 million in Zambezia.As for livestock, the survey found that there are 1.3 million head of cattle in the country, 3.9 million goats, 1.3 million pigs and 23.9 million chickens. Cattle farmers are a small minority of the rural population – cattle were only found on 5.4 per cent of farms.The survey found that the agricultural techniques used on the great majority of farms are rudimentary. Only 5.3 per cent of farms use irrigation, 3.8 per cent use fertilizers and 2.5 per cent use pesticides.Mechanisation scarcely exists. Only 1.6 per cent of farms reported the use of tractors and 1.8 per cent the use of ploughs.The most common form of transport is the bicycle. 1.23 million farms (32.2 per cent) had bicycles.
The households that own the farms, the INE says, account for 75.1 per cent of the total number of households in the country. 27.4 of the households running farms are headed by women. As for the main food crops, 69 per cent of the farms grow maize, 63 per cent grow cassava, 14 per cent grow rice, and 39 per cent grow groundnuts.The most commonly cultivated cash crop is sesame. 7.43 per cent of farms grow sesame. It is followed by sugar cane (5.92 per cent), tobacco (2.91 per cent) and cotton (2.21 per cent). Over 80 per cent of the farms grow no cash crops at all.The most important tree crops are cashew nuts and copra. 1.38 million farms (36 per cent) have cashew trees on their land, and the total number of cashew trees in the country is put at 38.2 million.871,498 farms (23 per cent) have coconut palms. There are 24.3 million of these palm trees, overwhelmingly in just two provinces – 16.3 million in Inhambane and 4.5 million in Zambezia.As for livestock, the survey found that there are 1.3 million head of cattle in the country, 3.9 million goats, 1.3 million pigs and 23.9 million chickens. Cattle farmers are a small minority of the rural population – cattle were only found on 5.4 per cent of farms.The survey found that the agricultural techniques used on the great majority of farms are rudimentary. Only 5.3 per cent of farms use irrigation, 3.8 per cent use fertilizers and 2.5 per cent use pesticides.Mechanisation scarcely exists. Only 1.6 per cent of farms reported the use of tractors and 1.8 per cent the use of ploughs.The most common form of transport is the bicycle. 1.23 million farms (32.2 per cent) had bicycles.
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