Vila Maninga is now situated on a 300 hectare farm. The farm is being developed to support the project at present and to enable future self-sufficiency. Many crops have been grown over the years at VM; maize (which makes up the staple diet at VM), sunflowers (for oil), a wide range of vegetables, beans and fruit. Any surplus is taken to the local market and sold to benefit the community.

The project also has various livestock.

We employ and train various workers and labourers on the farm and all in the community benefit from learning a wide variety of agricultural techniques and participating in ensuring its success.

People at VM sunflower winnowing

Mozambique has a hot tropical climate with increasingly unpredictable rains, swinging from drought one year to floods the next. The people at VM, like many Mozambicans, have experienced the devastation of crops failing through no fault of their own. It is a tough climate to work in.

Tractor at work on the VM farm.

For the last few years we have been setting up a eucalyptus tree plantation. In a few years time the trees will be ready to be logged and exported for sale to support the project. See the link on our homepage for information about the plantation.