Saõ Francisco
Agricultural School

The Friars Minor based in the Manica and Jécua regions of Mozambique have been working for years to provide pastoral care and development opportunities to rural communities living in one of the poorest areas on the planet. In parallel with the activities of the São Francisco Farm, the friars are working to establish an agricultural institute that will offer quality training to the population spread across the more than 70 villages covered by the pastoral ministry of the rural parish of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Sustainable agricultural training that puts women at the center

The institute, which the friars hope to launch in 2027, will focus its efforts on young members of families who rely on subsistence farming. Lacking training and resources, these families manage to produce a harvest that is barely enough to feed their children and insufficient to improve their meager living conditions.

The training courses, which focus on modern, eco-friendly, and sustainable agricultural techniques, will be aimed at young family members, with a particular emphasis on female participation. The situation for women in Mozambique is, in fact, very difficult: Mozambique is one of the countries with the highest rates of child marriage, where child brides sacrifice their future and any chance of receiving even a basic education.