Female farmers and Magüevas: central links in Maputo’s urban food system
n.reyestejada@un-ihe.org
ABSTRACT Urban farming was a key component of Mozambique’s post-
independence city-making, which explains why the green belt is CONCLUSION
In our effort to explore how the place of irrigated farming has changed
over time and what are the threats and opportunities for irrigated farming protected by law (see map). During the 1980’s the General Union of
Cooperatives (UGC) grouped mainly women who had fled rural areas We do not put the crucial role of women in Maputo’s urban food systems
– the machamba (1) - within Maputo’s current urbanization process, we
saw the need to empirically nuance the depiction of women within the affected by the civil war and provided them with land and production into question, however we do contest the depiction of urban faming as a
means. Currently, farmers in Infulene Valley are organized in associations, female activity. Our categorization of the machambas in our studied area,
urban food system by developmental and scientific literature. Farming is 15 of which are gathered at the level of Kamubukwana district and belong shows that the number of female members in the farmers’ association
described to be a predominantly female activity in Mozambique, but to the National Union of Peasant Associations – UNAC. Being a member does not reflect the actual situation of access to land, water, and labor,
particularly in Maputo’s green belt, because of the historically higher of an association is a requisite for accessing land resources. nor the access to production means, or decision-making positions.
number of female members within the farmers’ associations. However, Approximately 70% of members are women, which justifies why Pressure on land by urbanization and a rising number of people relying on
our experience on the field led us to question whether this is reflected in developmental and scientific literature depicts urban farming as a agriculture for their livelihood, added to the concentration of lands by
terms of access to land and water, means of production and decision predominantly female activity within Maputo’s urban food system. business-oriented farmers, has led older women to loose their historical
making. We tried answering this question using ethnographic methods on However, we wonder how this number speaks to gender relations in privileges in urban farming. However, if we look at Maputo’s urban food
the field to discover that while female farmers seem to be losing access terms of access to land and water, production means and decision systems as a whole instead, we see younger women reclaiming their
to land, and power, they still rely on farming for their families’ food making, and we aim to explore the actual role of women in Maputo’s centrality as agents of commercialization and securing food security for
consumption and livelihood. On-farm, a gender analysis seems more urban food system – as a whole and beyond just the social organization their families and the city.
relevant when intersected with other variables such as age and migratory • The bulk of members are older women who retained their land rights
background, however when looking at the urban food system as a whole, of agricultural production.
from the UGC’s time. An important number of them do not work on the
the role of women is particularly relevant under the figure of the magüeva
METHODOLOGY land anymore and leases it to other farmers (mostly women) who are
(2) who serves as a link between the machamba and the city’s markets. not represented in the association, nor have their land tenure secured.
This question regarding gender relations within the farmers’ associations • Even though women represent most of the members, they rarely
led our first fieldwork period in Maputo (2018-2019). We chose 4 occupy decision-making positions within the associations.
associations based on a criteria of proximity to the wastewater treatment • This contrasts with their role in decision-making within the machamba
plant and the sources of water they used for irrigation (relevant for other and the household, where they take the lead in managing the finances.
aspects of this research). Having, the machamba as a methodological • Women heading machambas expressly prioritize their families’ food
entry point and using ethnographic methods, we carried out an on-farm security, education and health. Of our research community, only two
gender analysis on 10 machambas. These units were categorized cases had their children working on the plot, in all other, the children
according to the orientation of the production and source of labor which studied and worked in other fields.
illustrated us in how intersectionality played in the relations of • As a consequence, most members rely on waged labor for production.
production: It is provided by young male workers from the adjacent neighborhoods,
which contributes to challenging the depiction of urban farming as a
INTRODUCTION 4 categories of machambas: female activity.
• The young women in the community mostly make their livelihood in
relation to the city’s market. They either serve as magüevas or as
As part of the city’s greenbelt created during Mozambique’s civil war, Business RECOMMENDATIONS
Completely oriented to commercialization relying on waged L and multiple plots vendors.
Infulene Valley has historically played a key role as a fresh food provider Family business (1) • Magüevas have a key role in setting fresh food prices in the city
for Maputo and even now irrigated farming is crucial for the livelihood of Some home consumption, family L combined with waged L and multiple plots markets, they bargain both, with the farmers they buy the produce • It is urgent to question the current depiction of urban farming in
several hundreds of families in the city. We use the case of Infulene Valley Family business (2) from, and with the vendors, they are equally key in the transportation Maputo and to understand the diversity of kinds of farming that
as an example of urban irrigated farming and aim to explore how the Mostly home consumption relying on family L (side job) and few plots and conservation of the vegetables, therefore they have an undeniable happen within the city, this way it can adequately be included in
place of irrigated farming has changed over time and what are the threats Subsistence agriculture relevance for the city’s food availability. urban planning.
and opportunities for it and the machamba within the current Self-consumption relying on family L and one plot. • Despite being labelled as ‘unsafe’ by district authorities,
urbanization process. Concern about the effects of these socio- • Maputo’s middle class Infulene’s produce is crucial for the city’s food availability.
environment changes on the lives and livelihoods of Infulene’s farmers, consumes agricultural produce
For our second fieldwork (2019-2020), we decided to complement our Discouraging its consumption is not solution, instead we
particularly on female farmers, form the direct motivation for this imported from South Africa
data analysis with policy reviews and in-depth interviews with planners recommend visibilizing its production and reflecting on how to
research. sold in supermarkets,
and practitioners to understand the place of urban farming in Maputo’s make it safer.
therefore Infulene’s produce
urban development, that is why we changed our scope from urban • Instead of thinking of urban farming, exploring Maputo’s urban
is crucial for the popular
farming to urban food systems. food system allows us to see the broader picture of food-
classes’ food security, related urban livelihoods.
contrasting with its depiction
• A further step in thinking of urban food systems should be
RESULTS by planners and policy- thinking of urban faming’s relation to the environment and
makers. nature. The use of agrochemicals for production is a big issue in
• The indistinct use of concepts such as urban farming and subsistence • The role of magüevas is Infulene.
agriculture by developmental and scientific literature has led to an largely overlooked by planners
• Depicting urban farming as a female activity is not only
unprecise depiction of Maputo’s urban farming, which partly explains and researchers, while in our inaccurate but contributes to reproduce harmful stereotypes.
its disregard by planners and policy makers. opinion their labor is the glue
• There are 4 categories of machambas • The role of women in Maputo’s urban food system goes way
in Infulene Valley, of which only keeping Maputo’s urban beyond faming, recognizing that can lead to a more integrated
(and comprising a minority of plots) is devoted to subsistence system together. and relational way of looking at the city and urban planning.
agriculture. Therefore, it is safe to conceptualize Infulene’s as • The depiction of urban
commercial agriculture. farming as rural / in ‘perpetual ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• The more business oriented machambas are, the more likely it is for decline’ does not make justice
them to be headed by men, and this model tempts to concentrated to the diversity of production A big thank you to Margreet Zwarteveen and Michelle Kooy for their
larger production areas, which explains the reduced number of male and producers and to the guidance in this research project. To NWO for funding it. To my
members in the associations. hundreds of urban livelihoods research community in Maputo and to my researchers’ support
(1) Machamba is the name given to a plot devoted to agricultural production in Southern
Mozambique. It is usually used for subsistence agriculture. depending on it. network in Mozambique and in the Netherlands.
(2) Magüeva is a young woman who regularly visits the machambas and buys off their produce to
resell it to the vendors at the city’s markets.