Walkability and the Right to the city: A snapshot critique of pedestrian space in Maputo, Mozambique

On the premise of transport inequality, urban mobility and the production of pedestrian space, this research explores pedestrians (im)mobility in Maputo, Mozambique's capital city, as a means of unravelling deeper-rooted issues of societal inequality. Borrowing from the Right to the City (RTTC), walking is repositioned as a potential ‘equalising mode’, reflecting on the social, physical and individual drivers of inequalities for walking in the city. Such analysis responds to existing gaps in a literature about walking that has little to offer about its links with social and economic inequalities in the global South. The paper builds on 22 semi-structured interviews and a journey audit exercise to discover that whilst the unfavourable pedestrian infrastructure makes walking difficult, the social stigmas of this space have a greater impact on people's perceptions of walkability. As such, low-income identities are more likely to walk, frequently in parts of the city where walking infrastructure is minimal (if at all), and may therefore find it more difficult to exercise their RTTC than their high-income counterparts. To challenge the status quo, this study concludes that more ‘hubs’ of opportunity must be created to make walking more equitable in addition to improving the most urgent infrastructural shortages

Analysis of Price Volatility and Implications for Price Stabilization Policies in Mozambique

High food price instability is one of the major risks facing agricultural households from developing countries. Resulting from agronomic factors as well as the historically low levels of world grain stocks and climate change, increased food price volatility has attracted renewed interest among policy experts in identifying appropriate policy instruments to counter its effects. This paper applies the GARCH model to data from twelve maize markets in Mozambique to estimate price seasonality and volatility. The results reveal the presence of seasonality, and high volatility. There is scope for improving price stability through the use of both market and non-market based price stabilization interventions that encourage investments in market infrastructure such as roads, warehouses and a market information system; institutions such as warehouse receipt system, credit and insurance; maintaining a strategic reserve and reduced tariffs and food-for-work programmes. Key words: Price volatility, Maize, GARCH, Mozambiqu

Ecological assessment and biogeography of coastal vegetation and flora in southern Mozambique

This study considered aspects of the vegetation of the coastal zone of southern Mozambique, an area with a rich biodiversity. The vegetation and flora were assessed in their current state including the associated anthropogenic pressures. The environmental conditions that determined the distribution of the vegetation were evaluated. A hierarchical classification, description and ecological interpretation of the vegetation and flora of the coastal zone in southern Mozambique are presented. Analysis was based on 242 sample quadrats that were distributed in a stratified manner throughout the study area. The vegetation could be grouped into six distinct types of vegetation: Dune Forest, Coastal Forest, Coastal Grassland, Coastal Miombo, Coastal Savanna and Coastal Woodland. Species diversity was high for the all the vegetation types, particularly in the woody elements. A total of 673 species in 410 genera was recorded. They represented 104 families with Fabaceae and Rubiaceae being the most common. Of these, 6.6% were endemic or near-endemic to the coastal zone of southern Mozambique with Coastal Forest being the habitat with the greatest endemism. All soils from different vegetation types had poor agricultural potential. Soil properties were the strongest defining environmental feature separating the vegetation types: e.g. pH was high in Dune Forest compared to the others. Results from Maxent modelling suggest that the distribution of endemic species is influenced by a combination of climatic and non-climatic variables. Soil type, temperature annual range and precipitation of the driest month were the most important predictor variables. Overlaying the potential distributions of the seven selected species indicated two areas of abundance of endemic species – these should be given attention for conservation. Endemic species are not well protected in southern Mozambique – their sampled and potential habitats are largely outside protected areas. Hence, additional reserves should be created to improve their protection. Most endemic and near-endemics species were found in the south, from Ponta de Ouro (Matutuine, south of Maputo Province) to Manhica district (north of the Maputo Province) forming part of the Maputaland Centre of Endemism. A second concentration of endemism was found in the Inhambane Province, specifically the Inhassoro and Vilanculos districts. This is proposed to be an Important Plants Area (IPA). Because most endemics and near-endemics are found in the Coastal Forest, their main threat is harvesting for charcoal production, although none of the endemic species are specifically targeted for charcoal production. In Inhambane they are also threatened by the tourism industry, agriculture and settlements. The impact of the habitat destruction on endemic species is expected to cause severe declines in the near future. The tourism industry and harvesting of trees for charcoal production and over-frequent fires are the main drivers of vegetation loss in this region. Shifting agriculture, harvesting for firewood and construction materials, cattle grazing (at a minor scale) are also impacts, but these were only observed in a small area of Maputo Province. Although the study was done in coastal zone of southern Mozambique, effective management of whole coastal zone of the country will be required to maintain a functioning and diverse ecosystem. Priorities for management are to ensure that forests are protected, in particular, Dune Forest. Actions are required to minimise degradation of coastal vegetation. Further research on Coastal Forest restoration should be planned, as field observations in this study confirm that forest in the coastal zone of southern Mozambique has resilience

Observations and Emerging Lessons from the 1998/99 High-Input Maize Program in Nampula Province, Mozambique

Research Results from the Department of Policy Analysis MARD-Directorate of Economicsfood security, food policy, Mozambique, maize, farmer associations, Crop Production/Industries, Q18,

Constraints and Strategies for the Development of the Seed System in Mozambique

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Directorate of Economics, Republic of Mozambiquefood security, food policy, Mozambique, seed system, Crop Production/Industries, Q18,

Memórias de violência: o testemunho das vozes silenciadas pela memória oficial na narrativa de Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa e José Eduardo Agualusa / Memories of violence: the testimony of the voices silenced by the official memory in the narrative of Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa and José Eduardo Agualusa

O presente artigo tem como objetivo principal discutir a memória, violência e trauma em Entre Memórias Silenciadas e Teoria Geral do Esquecimento, respetivamente de Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa[1] e José Eduardo Agualusa. Nas duas narrativas, os autores descrevem memórias (muitas das quais por eles vivenciadas) inseridas num quadro histórico recente das duas nações africanas, no limiar das suas independências, o que insere o corpus no contexto das narrativas de testemunho, tão raras, quanto pouco divulgadas em Moçambique e Angola. Para a análise metódica do tema pautou-se pela hermenêutica literária e análise de conteúdo, procedimentos inseridos numa pesquisa fenomenológica. O quadro teórico é constituído por teóricos cujos postulados estabelecem um diálogo entre as áreas dos estudos literários, filosofia, história, psicanálise e sociologia, com destaque para Hannah Arendt (1998), Márcio Seligmann-Silva (2000). Para o enquadramento histórico-literário do corpus a pesquisa ancorou-se na teoria pós-colonial, na qual foram úteis, sobretudo, os postulados de Kwame A. Appiah (1997) e Homi Bhabha(1998)

In conversation : Venàncio Massingue

French version available in IDRC Digital Library: Entretien avec Venàncio Massingu

Entretien avec Venàncio Massingue

Version anglaise disponible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI: In conversation : Venàncio Massingu

Vetores envolvidos no acesso à informação científica em Moçambique

A Internet tem assumido cada vez maior importância nos diferentes sectores da sociedade, concretizando uma plataforma de transporte convergente para a utilização de diferentes serviços, incluindo o suporte de dados, voz, vídeo e mobilidade. Neste contexto, as redes de investigação e ensino (National Research and Education Networks – NRENs) desempenham um papel crucial na mudança para a sociedade de conhecimento, sendo suportadas por organizações sem fins lucrativos que têm por missão prestar serviços avançados à comunidade de investigação e ensino superior [1]. Enquadrada nesta visão, a Estratégia de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação adotada pelo governo moçambicano em 2006 levou ao surgimento da iniciativa Mozambique Research and Education Network (MoRENet), que se encontra ainda em fase de implementação, e que tem por objetivo interligar mais de 80 instituições do país. Para além do acesso à Internet e outros serviços disponibilizados pelas NRENs, o acesso à literatura científica e o desenvolvimento de estratégias de produção e de partilha de conhecimento representam uma das maiores preocupações da comunidade científica e académica. Considerando estes aspetos, este artigo aborda e interliga os desafios e limitações da implantação da MoRENet, do acesso a literatura científica e da partilha de conhecimento em Moçambique.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Managing science and technology: the Mozambican ecosystem

The Current Research Information System (CRIS) emerges as an embracing paradigm for managing the multitude of Science and Technology (S&T) components and players. Instantiating its concepts and directives in the S&T ecosystems of developing countries allows to save years of progress, bringing these countries directly to the european level regarding S&T management. In this context, this article aims at discussing the challenges and strategies for the implementation of technological platforms for managing S&T, taking Mozambique and its NREN as the primary goal. By identifying and understanding the components of the mozambican S&T ecosystem, we expect to foster science in developing countries and promote international cooperation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio