Case Study: Zito — From 1 Hectare to 500 Hectares
Farmer: Zito Arcanjo Domingos, Quelimane, Zambézia
Cooperative: COJAZ (NUIT 401342966)
M-Pesa: 843697570
The Challenge
Zito started with 1 hectare of maize. Like 95% of Mozambican farmers, he had no bank loan, no credit history, no way to scale. The land was there. The knowledge was there. What was missing was organization.
The Solution
Zito registered COJAZ as a formal cooperative. He recruited 44 members across 3 districts (Quelimane, Mocuba, Mugeba). He identified 9 crops. He secured 500 hectares through a legal DUAT land transfer (Contrato de Cessão de DUAT from Herança indivisa aberta por óbito de Memuna Usse Bernardo). The legal transfer was handled by Anselmo Boaventura, a Mozambican lawyer.
The Data
- Starting size: 1 hectare → Current: 500 hectares (500x growth)
- 44 named farmers, 3 districts, 9 crops
- Legal: Registered cooperative, NUIT 401342966
- Satellite NDVI: 0.78 (healthiest province in Mozambique)
- Credit score: 608/850 (no bank account needed)
- 3 forward contracts on commodity exchange
- Carbon credit: $547,500 over 10 years
Key Lesson
Organization beats individual effort. One farmer with 1 hectare is invisible. 44 farmers with 500 hectares are a movement.