Gerson is one of 353 small farmers who are partners in Wanbao, a modern rice farm with Chinese investment in southern Mozambique. His 2.7-hectare field yielded almost 100,000 meticais (US$1,565) this harvest, enough to pay for his children's school fees and support his family.

Launched in 2011 in Xai-Xai, the provincial capital of Gaza, Wanbao later received support from the China-Africa Development Fund. With around 20,000 hectares of land, including approximately 3,333 hectares of rice paddies, it is one of the largest modern rice farming operations in Africa, producing 16,000 tons of rice annually.

After years of experimentation, the farm has established a consolidated cooperation model. Local families receive land, seeds, fertilizers, technical training and financial support, while the company buys their crops under pre-agreed contracts. As a result, average productivity has jumped from one to two tons per hectare to five to seven tons, and land use efficiency has increased tenfold.

(Source: XINHUA Português, on May 9)