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The Resilient Agriculture and Market Activities Project in the Beira Corridor (RAMA_BC) in partnership with the Centro Zonal Centro (CZC) of the Institute of Agricultural Research of Mozambique (IIAM) has been introducing and promoting various practices of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) aimed at reducing the vulnerability of small producers and dealing with climate change and its impact.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important staple food in Mozambique but its production is facing constraints such as drought, floods, cyclones, soil infertility, diseases, and pests, being drought one of the most limiting factor. To meet the challenge of producing under such conditions, it is important to invest on breeding programs to produce maize varieties that are resistant and adaptable to the present agroecological conditions. Maize is a C4 plant that evolved a biochemical mechanism of concentrating CO2 to overcome the oxygenase activity of Rubisco, which makes C4 plants photosynthetically more efficient than C3 plants. We Hypothesized that the levels of enzymes involved in photosynthesis (PEPC, PPDK, NADP-ME, and RubisCO) and their Post Translational Modifications (PTMs) correlate with the photosynthetic capacity of maize plants under drought stress. To examine their potential role as molecular markers for drought tolerance, we will make use of cutting-edge proteomics techniques. We will also provide data on agronomic performance and nutritional quality of the maize grain grown under the Greenhouse conditions in ITQB and under the local practices and agroecological conditions in Mozambique. We will use maize B73 as a control to test three varieties from Mozambique: Matuba, ZM523, and ZM 309. The main goal of the present project is to contribute with knowledge and important data that can be added to Mozambique’s maize breeding programs.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of age at weaning of calves on non‐ esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and reproductive parameters of beef cows. Animals (n = 65) were randomly assigned to three treatments after calving: hyper‐early weaning (W30) at 32 ± 0.89 days, early weaning (W75) at 77 ± 0.95 days, and conventional weaning (W180) at 183 ± 0.82 days. Body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS) were evaluated at parturition (AP) and at 30, 45, 64, 81, 100 and 115 days postpartum (dPP). Blood samples were collected to analyze NEFA levels and progesterone (P4) at 30, 45, 64 and 81 dPP. Higher BW and BCS were observed from 64 to 115 dPP in W30 cows than W180 ones (p < 0.05). Cows subjected to W30 condition had higher levels of NEFA at 30 dPP compared to 64 and 81 dPP (p < 0.05). We also observed that cows from W180 group showed decreased levels of NEFA at 30 dPP compared to 45 (p < 0.01) and 64 dPP (p < 0.05). The highest P4 level was observed at 64 dPP in W30 cows compared to W75 and W180 (p < 0.05). We also observed higher CR of W30 (86%) compared to W180 (47%) at 45 dPP (p < 0.05). The overall pregnancy rate (PR) was higher for W30 (95.5%) than W180 (73.9%). In addition, higher BW at calving and P4 levels at 30 dPP were positively correlated with the possibility of pregnancy (p < 0.05). Improvement in BW and BCS were observed in cows subjected to hyper‐early weaning management. However, levels of NEFA decreased as the postpartum period progressed. We concluded that cows who weaned calves hyper‐early have greater chances of increasing cyclicity and PRs.

Policy makers at national level have been attempting to mainstream climate change into their agricultural policies to increase the agricultural industry’s resilience against climate change and variability. In the absence of a clear understanding of the status of inclusion of relevant climate STI in the SADC regional countries’ agricultural sector, mainstreaming climate change into the agricultural policies becomes difficult. The status report therefore presents an Agricultural Innovation System (AIS) conceptual framework. The AIS framework was used to develop an estimation methodology for tracking the status of inclusion of relevant climate STI in the SADC regional countries’ agricultural sector.

This brief explains the major sources of GHG emissions related to crop production in Southern Africa, approaches and technical options to reduce GHG emissions from crop production, and examples of mechanisms that could help scale adoption of climate-smart crop production practices with mitigation co-benefits in Southern Africa. ©GIZ 9 GHG Mitigation through Climate-Smart Agriculture in Souther

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Micronutrient deficiencies often occur as part of a cycle of malnutrition and may be coupled with protein energy malnutrition. One of the measure to fight malnutrition is through participatory dietary modification was used. Five recipes of banana-based porridges from two EAHB ‘nshakala’ and AAB ‘bira’ banana varieties and three maize-based porridges were formulated in combination with other ingredients. The contents of Iron and protein in separate ingredients and in modified recipes were analysed using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry and Kjeldahl´s method, respectively, and bio-accessibility of iron was estimated using invitro simulating gastrointestinal digestion method. Beans were a good source of both iron and protein while groundnuts flour was a good source of protein. Contribution of iron and protein in recommended daily allowance (RDA) ranged from 75.3 to 458% and 106 to 146% in a portion of 500g respectively. Iron bioaccessibility in all recipes ranged from 7.4% to 31.1%. Iron in porridge recipes (6OFSP, 7B) was more bio-accessible. The developed and improved recipes showed great potential of contributing substantially to iron and protein needs of children 6-23 months. The importance of food diversification for intake of iron and protein is discussed.

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