How a chicken changed farmer Andre’s life in Mozambique

Can a chicken bring about a significant change in life? The 48-year-old Andre from Mozambique can certainly attest to that. Due to the effects of climate change, his crops have been failing more frequently. As a result, he didn’t have enough food and money for his family. Thanks to the Sasso chicken, Andre now has a stable income and can buy food for his family and pay for his daughter’s school fees.

Andre lives on a farm in Nhamatanda, a region in the middle of the African country Mozambique. Around the yard, there are several huts. On a wooden rack, the dishes are drying in the bright sun. Here, Andre and his wife live with their four children and two nephews. They live in one hut, and the other huts are used as sleeping quarters.

Clucking

In a corner of one of the huts, a chicken is lying in the middle of the day, while a few other chickens are clucking around the yard. Under the trees and bushes, there is a small run, in the shade of the trees and bushes. Andre picks up one of his chickens from the run and proudly shows it off. “This is a Sasso chicken. This breed has many advantages. These chickens adapt easily to the conditions and are not bothered by the heat. They also lay more eggs than regular chickens, up to two per day. We can sell or eat these eggs ourselves. These chickens also have a lot of meat, so I can sell them for a good price. And of course, we also eat the chicken ourselves,” says Andre.

Poor harvests

The Mozambican farmer started keeping Sasso chickens a year ago. Before that, he mainly lived off the produce from his land, which is behind his farm. “I grow maize, tomatoes, onions, and cabbage, among other things. Unfortunately, this has become more difficult in recent years due to the effects of climate change. Sometimes it rains too much, and other times too little.” Due to the increasingly poor harvests, there wasn’t enough money to support his family.

Andre saw that other people in his area were making money with a new type of chicken, the Sasso chicken. He decided to buy a few animals first to see if they were really such good, strong chickens. His experience was positive, and he decided to acquire more of these animals. He now has about ten chickens running around his yard.

Two-hour drive for a chicken

“I sell a chicken about once a week. That brings in about five euros. With this, I have money to buy food for my family and to pay for my daughter’s school fees.” Andre sometimes sells the chickens at the local market. “But the market is far away, and I have no transport. So it takes a lot of time to get there. Fortunately, people also come here to buy a chicken,” explains Andre. The quality of Andre’s Sasso chickens is so well known that some of his customers even come all the way from Beira, a city about a two-hour drive from his farm.

Large chicken run

Keeping the chickens brings in so much money that Andre has decided to acquire even more in the future. Andre: “I also have other animals, such as goats, pigs, and rabbits. They cost much more to maintain and bring in less than the chickens. Therefore, I want to switch entirely to keeping chickens in a while. I plan to build a large run so that I can sell about two to three chickens every day.”

This story was achieved under Dorcas guidance, and now forms part of the legacy and track record that Mãos Unidas proudly continues to build upon.

Published on 03 August 2024