Cooperativas em Moçambique: How Cooperatives Transform Agriculture

September 2026

The Power of Cooperation

Cooperatives are essential engines that empower smallholder farmers in Mozambique by providing collective bargaining power and access to necessary resources. In an environment where the informal economy dominates, these organizations allow farmers to overcome barriers to credit, inputs, and markets that they cannot navigate alone.

A cooperative allows farmers to:

• Pool resources — buy seeds and inputs in bulk at lower prices.
• Access credit — lenders trust a cooperative more than an individual.
• Negotiate better prices — 44 farmers selling together have power.
• Share knowledge — experienced farmers mentor younger ones.
• Access government programs — many programs require cooperative registration.
• Verify via satellite — a cooperative's land can be monitored as a single unit.

COJAZ: A Case Study in Cooperative Success

Who They Are

COJAZ (Cooperativa dos Jovens Agropecuários da Zambézia) is a cooperative of 44 young farmers in Zambézia province, Mozambique, which partners with Maputo Bridge Capital to connect with sponsors. MBC, founded by Anselmo Boaventura in Fort Worth, Texas, facilitates these connections to support agricultural development.

• President: Zito Arcanjo Domingos
• Members: 44 (3 founding members + 41 honorary members)
• Land: 500 hectares at GPS -16.70389, 37.37083
• Locations: Quelimane, Mocuba, Mugeba/Lugela
• Crops: Maize, rice, beans, sesame, tomato, pepper, cabbage, soybean, cowpea

What They Achieved

Working alongside their operational structure, COJAZ has:

1. Organized 44 young people into a formal cooperative.
2. Secured 500 hectares of land through a Cessão de DUAT.
3. Registered with M-Pesa mobile money accounts.
4. Connected with MBC for verification and sponsorship support.
5. Got blockchain-verified (54 SHA-256 blocks logged).
6. Listed forward contracts on the commodity exchange.
7. Registered for carbon credits ($547,500 over 10 years).

How MBC Supports Cooperatives

MBC facilitates support for cooperatives like COJAZ through the following methods:

1. Satellite Credit Scoring — Each farmer gets a 300-850 credit score using NDVI satellite data, mobile money history, weather data, farm profile, and community verification. No bank account is needed.

2. Blockchain Verification — Every transaction is logged on a SHA-256 blockchain, ensuring transparency and accountability for the verification of field data and receipts.

3. M-Pesa Integration — Sponsor funds are directed toward verified seed and fertilizer shops, bypassing intermediaries to support the farmer directly.

4. Commodity Exchange — Cooperatives can list forward contracts to help stabilize their production cycles.

5. Carbon Credit Registration — Cooperative land can be registered for carbon credits, which help generate long-term value for the community.

6. Global Sponsor Access — The MBC platform connects cooperatives with sponsors worldwide who wish to support verified smallholders.

7. Transparency — MBC ensures sponsors receive field photos and documentation as part of the sponsorship process.

How to Register a Cooperative in Mozambique

Legal Requirements

1. Minimum 10 members — at least 10 founding members required.
2. General assembly — hold founding meeting with all members.
3. Statutes — draft cooperative bylaws (estatutos).
4. Registration — register with the Ministry of Agriculture (Direcção Provincial de Agricultura).
5. NUIT — obtain tax identification number.
6. Bank account — open cooperative bank account (or M-Pesa account).
7. DUAT — secure land use rights for cooperative land.

COJAZ Registration Details

• Cooperative name: COJAZ — Cooperativa dos Jovens Agropecuários da Zambézia
• Registration number: 101668401
• NUIT: 401342966
• Email: cojazz2021@gmail.com
• President: Zito Arcanjo Domingos
• M-Pesa: 843697570
• Legal Representative: Anselmo Djadju de Castro Boaventura (Advogado)

The Cooperative Advantage

Individual Farmer vs Cooperative Member

How to Join or Support a Cooperative

For Mozambican Farmers

1. Contact the COJAZ cooperative in Zambezia directly to learn about membership requirements.
2. Connect with Maputo Bridge Capital, founded by Anselmo Boaventura in Fort Worth, Texas, to understand how verification services support local producers.
3. MBC works with cooperatives to provide visibility to smallholder farmers through field verification and documentation.

For Sponsors

1. Visit How sponsoring a farmer works to see the process of supporting verified smallholder farmers.
2. Browse active projects with farmers to see where your support goes.
3. Contribute as little as $25 to help a farmer purchase essential inputs.
4. Receive documentation such as receipts from local seed and fertilizer shops and photos of the fields.

For Cooperatives Wanting to Partner with MBC

1. Provide the member roster including names and phone numbers.
2. Share land details such as location and hectares for verification purposes.
3. MBC works with the cooperative to conduct field verification and document the needs of individual farmers.
4. MBC creates listings for specific agricultural needs.

The Smallholder Farmer's Season

For a smallholder farmer in Mozambique, the season is defined by the timely acquisition of seeds and fertilizer. By working with cooperatives like COJAZ, farmers can pool resources and gain access to the necessary inputs to cultivate their land. Following the harvest, farmers contribute to a Community Fund, which ensures that future resources are available to support the next generation of farmers, creating a cycle of sustainability and growth.

Frequently asked questions

What is the role of a cooperative in agriculture? Cooperatives act as an organizational structure that allows smallholder farmers to pool their land and resources, turning individual vulnerability into collective strength.

How does field verification help farmers? Verification ensures that the farmers' land and needs are accurately documented, making their operations visible and connecting them with the resources they require.

What happens to repayments after a harvest? Farmers repay into a Community Fund that is used to sponsor the next farmer, ensuring the continuity of agricultural support within the community.

Conclusion

Cooperatives are the most powerful organizational structure for Mozambican smallholder farmers. They transform individual vulnerability into collective strength. COJAZ — with 44 members and 500 hectares — is proof that when farmers organize, they become visible to the world.

You can help a farmer grow their crops by providing a gift starting from $25 at /sponsor-a-farmer-mozambique. Please note that sponsorships are gifts, not investments, and are not tax-deductible; 92% of your gift goes directly to the farmer's local seed and fertilizer shop, while 8% covers field verification and documentation.