Edson Carneiro

I was born in Beira, Sofala Province, Mozambique, but I grew up in Machipanda, a small mountainous village in Manica Province that borders on Zimbabwe, which back in the 90s, was known for its lovely cool weather, conducive for agricultural production. Growing up in a rural area, I was actively involved in farming and I enjoyed producing horticultural crops in our backyard garden. However, as time went by I realized that it became much harder to grow food and I wanted to understand the reason behind that and this led me to pursue a degree in Agriculture and Natural Resources with specialization in Horticulture in Zimbabwe, where I got to understand the factors associated with low agricultural production in my village; climate change, bad agricultural practices, illegal logging and intensive charcoal production.

After finishing my degree, I worked for several organizations that focused on good farmer engagement, higher crop production and food security. In 2014, when I was pursuing a Post-graduate course in Brazil, I became exposed to practical Agroecology and it reignited my passion for sustainability in Agriculture and fortunately in October 2016, I was invited to join Gorongosa National Park as the Smallholder Agriculture Manager, a unique opportunity to work in my home Province and help families in the Gorongosa National Park buffer zone to farm better while preserving the local ecosystems and biodiversity that are essential for sustainable agriculture.

 Gorongosa, being the flagship park and model for restoration in Mozambique, puts it in a position to influence and impact other conservation/protected areas in the country and I am glad to be part of this endeavour that is much bigger than anything I could ever imagine for my career as an Agricultural Professional.