The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently awarded Land O'Lakes International Development a Food for Progress program to develop the dairy industry in the Manica Province of Mozambique, a country heavily dependent on imports due to a 16-year civil war that destroyed the dairy industry. Manica Province, bordered on the west by Zimbabwe, offers a favorable climate for livestock farming and has access to multiple markets. The main objectives of this private sector-based initiative are to begin rebuilding Mozambique’s dairy industry to meet market demand and to increase incomes for smallholder farmers.

To build a sustainable dairy value chain in the region, Land O’Lakes will begin rebuilding the national dairy herd, train smallholder farmers in feed/fodder techniques, animal husbandry and animal traction, and establish producer-level cooperatives and milk collection centers. In addition, as the consumption of dairy products currently is extremely low, the program will promote the message that dairy products are an important source of nutrition.