… I will not stop working, I will continue, utilizing all of the lessons I learned from Catalisa.

Same Pereira is a young man of 23 years of age, born in Namicopo, Nampula province, where he spent part of his childhood with his parents and siblings, until he was ­ve years old. The separation of his parents forced Same to move to Malema-Sede with his mother, where he continued his primary education. However, due to his mother’s ­nancial limitations, Same felt obliged to move to Mieze, where his father lives, in order to continue his studies, which he continued up to middle school. In 2014 he moved to the city of Pemba, where, together with his aunt, he completed high school at the Pemba Secondary School in 2017. Like many youth who graduate from high school in Mozambique, particularly in Cabo-Delgado, Same Pereira faced the di‑culties of entering higher education or vocational technical education as an alternative. With no education and no job, Same returned to Mieze, and perceived agriculture as the only alternative to face the challenges of unemployment. He began to help his father with his farming activities, where he learned production techniques that he later applied on a small plot granted by his father, producing lettuce, the sale of which earned him only 20,000 meticals each season. But as Same had other responsibilities with his family, including taking care of his daughter and wife, he had to create other alternative means of living – trading dierent products in the city of Pemba, including products from his farm in Mieze.

Catalisa accelerating profitability of businesses in Mieze

In 2019, after the launch of the Catalisa Project in the administrative post of Mieze, community members with eligible pro¬les and entrepreneurial ventures were identi¬ed to be project partners, most notably Mr. Pereira Tambu, father of Same Pereira Tambu . He was a part of the ¬rst group of farmers to receive technical assistance, irrigation equipment, a drip irrigation system and motor pump. The results achieved in Mr. Pereira Tambu’s production ­eld aroused the interest of Same to be a part of the project as a young farmer. After submitting his application, he was trained by the Catalisa team in best agricultural practices, and, due to his dedication and spirit of entrepreneurship shown during the training, was approved and started activities with the project. At this point, Same started to dedicate himself entirely to farming as a business in Mieze.

…Working with Catalisa is awesome, and the results speak for themselves, I have increased my production area, and because I need to devote more time to my farm, I left my brother in town, he is doing the business, I help him manage the distance.