Sustainable Agricultural Alternatives to Cope with Drought Effects in Semi-Arid Areas of Southern Mozambique: Review and Strategies Proposal

Celso Mondlhane, Lawrence Munjonji, Íris Victorino, Carlos Huenchuleo, Paula Pimentel and Pablo Cornejo ()
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Celso Mondlhane: Escuela de Agronomía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Quillota 2260000, Chile
Lawrence Munjonji: Department of Soil Science, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
Íris Victorino: Biological Science Department, Science Faculty, Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), Av. Julius Nyerere nr 3453 Campus Principal, Maputo 1102, Mozambique
Carlos Huenchuleo: Escuela de Agronomía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Quillota 2260000, Chile
Paula Pimentel: Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Fruticultura (CEAF), Las Parcelas 882, Los Choapinos, Rengo 2940000, Chile
Pablo Cornejo: Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Fruticultura (CEAF), Las Parcelas 882, Los Choapinos, Rengo 2940000, Chile

World, 2025, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: Drought, pests, soil fertility depletion, environmental challenges, and the limited use of agricultural inputs continue to plague food production in many developing countries such as Mozambique. As a response to these production constraints, sustainable strategies must be defined to cope with these problems. One strategy, largely applied worldwide, is the combination of the usage of plant growth-promoting microorganisms, conservation tillage, intercropping, and crop residue management. The above can help smallholder farmers to become more resilient, sustainable, and productive, in a framework where the limitations imposed by global climate change are being exacerbated. The impacts of these strategies are less known and lack studies in Mozambique. Here, we provide a comprehensive review based on the relevant scientific literature published in the last three decades which evaluated the effects of diverse sustainable alternatives for crop production, mainly oriented to enhance crop tolerance to drought. The use of these strategies and their promising potential to increase crop yields under drought conditions emerge as one of the most sustainable approaches, leading to both an increase in agricultural productivity and the amelioration of soil properties in Southern Mozambique. However, to achieve this goal, it is critical to perform studies that enable positive impacts and also take full account of the specific socio-economic and environmental contexts in which agricultural production is developed in the semi-arid areas of Southern Mozambique. Hence, future field studies assessing conservation agriculture practices effects on yield productivity and environment under drought conditions are suggested to address issues concerned to sustainable agricultural productions which allow us to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 1) and SDG 2.

Keywords: sustainable production alternatives; drought; Mozambique; smallholder farmers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G15 G17 G18 L21 L22 L25 L26 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 R51 R52 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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