Around five million Mozambicans have emerged from a situation of food insecurity in the country since the Sustenta program began five years ago, through the financing of agricultural projects, with a direct result in increased agricultural production and productivity.

In fact, the number of people in this condition has fallen from 12.3 million in 2020 to around seven million this year.

The data was shared this week in Nametil, in the district of Mogovolas, Nampula province, by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Celso Correia, at the launch of the "Growing Well" campaign, an initiative of the Office of the First Lady in conjunction with the government, which focuses on women living in rural areas.

Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said it was encouraged by the country's results in the area of food security. However, challenges remain to achieve the commitments set out under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The FAO representative in Mozambique, Hernâni da Silva, who expressed this satisfaction at the launch of the "Growing Up Well" campaign, argued that these challenges require greater effort, collaboration and coordination from everyone in the use of the scarce resources available.

According to Hernâni da Silva, Mozambique's food security data was more encouraging with the results of a better harvest that contributed to reducing the number of people affected by food insecurity, as projected by the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) analysis carried out in 2021.

In Mozambique, around 24 percent of the population (just over 30 million people) still suffers the effects of chronic malnutrition.