Growing resilience: Contributing to food security and livelihoods in Mozambique

In Mozambique, household resilience depends on more than a successful harvest. For many smallholder farming families supplying tobacco to Philip Morris International (PMI), food security and livelihoods are shaped by their ability to produce food, access reliable water, diversify income, and adapt to climate and market-related shocks. In a context where much food production remains rain-fed and subject to low rainfall and drought, strengthening farming systems requires an integrated approach that supports productivity, food availability, and long-term household resilience. 

Why diversification matters for living income 

Internal monitoring data shared by our supplier over the past three years indicates that tobacco contributes approximately 14 percent of total household income on average, while other crops account for approximately 48 percent.¹ This means that diversified agricultural production is critical for household livelihoods. Farming systems that combine tobacco with food crops such as maize, horticulture, livestock, and other income-generating activities are essential.  

For farming families, diversification means having more than one way to put food on the table and earn an income when rainfall is poor or prices fluctuate. For PMI and our suppliers, it helps sustain long-term relationships with farmers and supports a more stable agricultural supply chain. When households can meet essential needs and continue farming through difficult seasons, both families and the businesses that depend on them are better placed to plan for the future. 

Linking water access, irrigation technology and year-round farming 

We work in partnership with Universal Leaf Tobacco (ULT) through its Mozambique subsidiary Mozambique Leaf Tobacco Limitada (MLT) to implement initiatives to help farming households in tobacco-growing areas adapt their livelihoods. As the local implementing partner, MLT coordinates program delivery, farmer engagement, training, and field-level support.  

Together, we have supported water access initiatives that aim to ensure improved farmer livelihoods through access to drinking water, as well as investing in irrigation solutions which make more productive use of available land and reduce dependence on rainfall.  

Water access solutions implemented over the years include, but are not limited to, 211 new boreholes, 600 protected wells, and household water systems provided to 100 percent of the MLT farmer base, improving access to more reliable water for farming households and surrounding communities.  

PMI’s support of the Treadle Pump program, which was created by MLT farmers in Mozambique, has enabled irrigation across approximately 1,800 hectares of farmland for more than 8,800 smallholder farmers since 2018. By linking reliable water access with practical irrigation technology, these interventions help farmers make better use of available land, reduce the physical burden of manual irrigation, improve water-use efficiency, and expand crop production beyond the main growing season. In Mozambique, this includes dry-season, or “winter”, cropping, when agricultural production is traditionally more limited. Designed to operate using local water sources such as wells and streams without requiring fuel or electricity, the pumps support tobacco nurseries and food crops while enabling cultivation during the dry season, creating opportunities for additional income estimated at up to approximately USD 400 per farmer annually. 

In parallel, through winter cropping programs, farmers can access vegetable seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs, alongside practical training on crop planning, water management, and good agricultural practices. These interventions enable farmers to cultivate nutrient-rich crops such as tomatoes, cabbage, onions, leafy vegetables, legumes, maize, and beans during periods when agricultural production is traditionally more limited. As a result, households can improve dietary diversity, increase food availability, and generate additional income through the sale of surplus production in local markets. 

Image: A farmer irrigates vegetable crops in Mozambique.

Strengthening staple food production through partnerships 

Strengthening staple food production is also central to household food security. Our collaboration with MLT has supported the distribution of maize input packages (which contain maize seed and fertilizer) designed to improve productivity and farming performance. In 2025, more than 83,000 farming households cultivated maize through those initiatives, generating an estimated gross income of approximately USD 1,200 per farmer. Maize input packages have been distributed to farmers since 2015 and, within the last three years, have supported the production of approximately 140 to 150 million kilograms of maize annually across key growing regions, including Tete, Zambezia, and Niassa. Based on average household consumption requirements, this volume is estimated to provide sufficient food to meet the annual needs of estimated 150,000 households.  

Due to the increasing effects of El Nino in the region, as of October 2026 the program began supporting the procurement and storage of approximately 600 tons of maize ahead of the lean season², enabling the distribution of approximately 150 kilograms of maize to 4,000 vulnerable farming households (around 20,000 people). Alongside this, emergency seed reserves are maintained to enable rapid support to farmers affected by adverse weather conditions or unexpected crop losses.  

In addition, MLT distributes specially developed insect-resistant storage bags to farming households to help reduce post-harvest losses. By enabling farmers to safely store part of their maize harvest, these bags can help preserve food that might otherwise be lost, improving food availability throughout the year and helping households make better use of the crops they produce. 

Building on this work, plans are in place to expand the distribution of maize seed packages and enhance the current offering by introducing improved maize varieties adapted to local growing conditions, alongside bean seeds to support crop diversification while helping replenish soil nitrogen and improve long-term soil health. Integrating legumes into farming systems can contribute to more diversified, productive, and resilient production systems, while also improving household nutrition and increasing access to additional food sources. 

Under typical productivity conditions, the initiative is expected to support the production of an additional 10 million kilograms of maize and 2.4 million kilograms of beans, increasing the availability of staple foods and complementary sources of nutrition supporting 100 percent of the MLT farmer base, made up of approximately 80,000 beneficiaries. 

Diversifying income  

As part of our efforts to identify effective approaches to livelihood diversification, we have tested, together with our partners, a range of interventions designed to support farming households. 

One example is the Goat Value Chain Program, which was piloted to explore livestock-based income generation. The pilot generated valuable lessons regarding household participation, implementation approaches, and long-term sustainability, helping inform the design of future livelihood diversification initiatives. 

Building on these lessons, in November 2026 PMI is launching the Home Gardens Program, a pilot fruit tree initiative for 500 farmers. The initiative will provide carefully selected fruit tree seedlings adapted to local growing conditions, enabling households to establish productive home gardens and small-scale orchards around their homesteads. 

Fruit trees represent a complementary investment to annual crops such as maize and beans. While staple crops remain critical for household food security, fruit trees can provide a longer-term source of food and value, continuing to produce for multiple years once established. Because they can be planted around the home, they generally do not compete directly with land allocated to tobacco production or staple food crops. 

In addition to contributing to dietary diversity through increased access to fruit and essential micronutrients, the initiative is expected to help diversify household food sources and create opportunities for supplementary income through the sale of surplus production. By establishing productive household assets that can generate benefits over multiple seasons, the initiative aims to strengthen resilience, improve nutrition, and support more diversified and sustainable farming systems. 

Resilience as the foundation of an integrated approach 

In Mozambique, weather variability continues to be one of the greatest risks facing rural households, particularly those whose livelihoods depend on rain-fed agriculture. Our approach focuses on helping farming households strengthen their capacity to adapt through a combination of near-term support and longer-term resilience-building investments.  

Over the medium term, continued investments in irrigation solutions, water access, and crop diversification can help reduce dependence on seasonal rainfall while creating opportunities for more consistent agricultural production and additional income generation. Strengthening connections to local markets can further improve farmers’ ability to convert increased production into sustainable livelihood opportunities. 

Into the long term, initiatives such as home gardens, school gardens, and fruit tree planting have the potential to strengthen dietary diversity, improve household nutrition, and create productive assets that generate value over time.  

Together, these efforts are intended to help farming households navigate difficult seasons without sacrificing their longer-term prospects. More reliable access to water, food production, storage, and diversified sources of income can give farmers greater room to plan and invest—while supporting the continuity of the farming communities and supply relationships on which our agricultural supply chain depends. 

¹ Percentages are based on internal monitoring data shared by suppliers

² The period between the depletion of food stocks from one harvest and the availability of the next harvest, during which farming households typically experience reduced food availability, lower incomes, and increased vulnerability to food insecurity.