This Poverty Reduction Action Plan (PARP) 2011-2014 is the medium-term strategy for putting into operation the Five-Year Government Program (2010-2014), focused on the objective of combating poverty and promoting a culture of work, to achieve inclusive economic growth and reduce poverty and vulnerability in the country. It represents the continuation of the PARPA II, which was implemented with a timeframe of 2006-2009, extended to 2010, and had as its principal goal to reduce the incidence of food poverty. In order to achieve the global objective of the PARP, three general objectives are essential (i) increase agricultural and fisheries production and productivity; (ii) promote decent employment, as a way of facilitating and developing micro, small and medium-sized enterprises; (iii) promote access to quality health and education services as well as to social security programs. Strategic interventions need to aim to (i) transforming the structure of production and economic productivity and their linkages, with a focus on economic development and the people's well-being; (ii) rural development, which embraces family farming so as to make it more productive; (iii) strengthening the domestic market and facilitating its integration into the national economy. To help eliminate hunger and malnutrition, the Action Plan suggests to (i) promote agricultural production and productivity to guarantee increased output and food security; (ii) enhance the contribution of the fisheries sector; (iii) strengthen the capacity of the research services to develop food production technologies; (iv) promote equity in access to health care, with special attention to health and nutrition for women, children and other vulnerable groups (i.e. preventive and curative nutritional surveillance to reduce mortality from malnutrition among children under five years of age, multi-sector intervention packages for reducing chronic malnutrition, humanized maternal and neonatal care including support for exclusive breast-feeding and infant feeding in the context of HIV/AIDS, good practices in food consumption and hygiene); (v) expand the coverage and impact of Direct Social Action Programs, contributing to economic and nutritional security for the most vulnerable groups; (vi) design and implement a National Program for Productive Social Action in response to chronic food insecurity and vulnerability to climatic shocks, price fluctuations, and the seasonal variability of agricultural production. A more sustainable and productive agriculture plans to (i) enhance the quality and coverage of public and private extension services, with due regard to gender equity; (ii) increase production and improve access to inputs; (iii) use public and private investment to promote the expansion of infrastructure in areas with productive potential; (iv) expand and facilitate access to mechanized and animal traction; (v) promote conservation agriculture. Rural poverty can be faced through (i) facilitation of access to financial services in rural areas, ensuring better scope for women; (ii) expansion of access to and use of water supply and sanitation services in rural areas; (iii) promotion of construction of family latrines (improved and traditional). To enhance more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the document envisages to (i) promote producers' associations and cooperatives to create economies of scale in the use of infrastructure, services and inputs; (ii) promote the agro-processing industry to take advantage of local resources; (iii) improve access to market information; (iv) develop vocational training programs for self-employment, with a focus on agriculture, agro-processing and industrial maintenance, including distributing the means of work for the neediest. The resilience of livelihoods to disasters shall be increased through (i) the improvement of the sustainable management of natural resources (land, water, fisheries and forests); (ii) adoption of measures to reduce disaster risks and to adapt to climate change such as reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation; (iii) training and equipping local risk management committees; (iv) encouragement of people living in disaster-prone areas to move to safer locales. As for Governance, it is considered necessary to (i) improve the accessibility and quality of public services delivered to the citizens; (ii) combat corruption in public institutions; (iii) promote decentralization and local governance; (iv) consolidate the democratic rule of law; (v) enhance the public financial management.
Mozambique · 2011-05-03