The aim of this study was to evaluate socially farmers' decisions about the cultivation of cash crops. It specifically assessed the feasibility of World Relief-SempreVerde scheme by investigating the agricultural promoters; the factors influencing farmers' decisions to adopt, reject, discontinue or continue with the promoted crops; and the support required for improving the food and income security of smallholder farmers. The research took place in nine villages in Cuamba district, Niassa province, Mozambique. It involved a survey of 245 farmers stratified according to gender and wealth. Focus group discussions, questionnaires and interviews with leaders, farmers and managers of promoter institutions were used. A model for introducing cash crops is proposed. This research suggests that agricultural promoters should look to cash crops that can be intercropped with existing food crops; explore dry season agricultural activity; select drought-, pest- and disease-resistant crops; provide markets for existing crops; promote perennial crops; build a well-organised extension, credit and buying system; and/or incorporate livestock in the existing farming system.

This study analysed factors influencing smallholders' market participation, using wealth-ranking factors. Two hypotheses were tested: that (1) wealth status and (2) wealth-ranking factors are positively related to market participation. Significant and positive relationships were found between wealth-ranking factors (labour, number of livestock, implements, bicycles, food availability, area of land cultivated and crops sold) and wealth status. Wealth status and wealth-ranking factors were positively and significantly correlated with the number of different kinds of cash crops sold. However, household characteristics not indicated as wealth-ranking factors, such as age, gender and literacy level, related insignificantly to market participation. Labour was the most important wealth-ranking factor explaining market participation. This analytical tool can be used to assess the wealth-ranking factors that influence market participation. It can help identify strategies for improving this participation and may also be used to assess the way a cash crop development project affects a household's wealth status.

This study analyses profitability in terms of relationships between various aspects, indicators and cash-crop cultivation preferences. Both financial and pragmatic aspects of profitability were found to be related to cash-crop preferences. Apart from the need to promote a crop with a good farm gate price and to reduce production and marketing costs, promoters need to strengthen the wider system by supporting profitability as well as household consumption requirements. The correlation between indicators of expected profitability improved as more financial and pragmatic aspects were incorporated. Smallholder farmers' rankings of profitability correlated better with cash-crop preferences when the analysis incorporated more aspects of profitability. In addition, the results indicated the institutional support needed to improve the profitability of cash crops. This simple method of identifying smallholder preferences for one cash crop among many is of paramount importance in the design of strategies for improving agricultural market participation.Profitability, cash-crop preferences, smallholder cash-crop cultivation, northern Mozambique,

Labour is one of the most important factors affecting smallholder cultivation of cash crops. Available household labour (AHL), crop labour requirements (CLR) and the ratio AHL:CLR were analysed from data collected from 287 households in the southern Niassa province of Mozambique. The study confirms that, other factors being held constant, crop labour requirements were positively related to the number of households rejecting or discontinuing certain cash crops owing to lack of available labour. Weeding was the most labour-intensive operation, followed by harvesting, preparing soil, transporting produce, clearing land and preparing seedlings. The following labour-dependent factors can be estimated: (i) the total area a household can cultivate, (ii) the area that can be allocated to food crops for consumption, (iii) the area that can be allocated to cash crops, (iv) the proportion of households that can cultivate cash crops, and (v) the proportion of households that are unlikely to produce sufficient food for household consumption.