Improving irrigation, compost management and environmental education

Following the Connective Cities Dialogue Event on Urban Gardening, co-organised and co-hosted with the City of Berlin in April 2021, Connective Cities supported the districts of Pankow and KaTembe in organising a virtual project workshop. The workshop took place on 29 November 2021 with representatives from the Pankow district in Berlin and the KaTembe district in Maputo as well as other municipal experts. The exchange built on a partnership between the cities of Berlin and Maputo and allowed participants to present local challenges and experiences, share strategies for urban agriculture and jointly identify solutions.

Located in the direct catchment area of the Mozambican capital Maputo, the district of KaTembe has considerable economic potential, but also faces steady population growth. In order to improve the local quality of life, KaTembe envisages promoting urban agriculture, which is ideally suited due to the climatic and topographical conditions. However, this project poses several challenges for the district administration. These include the development of strategies that ensure optimal use of agricultural land and efficient irrigation of the fields. Furthermore, there is a need for innovative methods of composting as well as increased use of improved seeds and reduction of pesticides in the fields. In addition, local smallholder farmers need to gain better access to markets to improve the economic viability of their farms. Finally, the district administration sees enormous potential in promoting local livestock, fish and crab farming to meet the growing food needs of the KaTembe population.