From Sea to Soil

Paulo Benedito built his life around the sea. Born and raised in Quissanga, a small coastal town in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, Paulo came from a long line of fishermen.

The ocean was more than a livelihood—it was a way of life passed down through generations.

Each morning, he would set out before sunrise in his wooden boat, returning hours later with enough fish to feed his family—and, if the catch was good, to sell at the market.

The modest income allowed him to send his children to school, support his wife and contribute to the well-being of his community. 

For Paulo and his family, Quissanga had always been home—a place of stability, purpose and belonging.

Then in 2021, armed Islamist insurgents—locally known as Ansar al‑Sunna or “al‑Shabab,” and linked to the Islamic State—launched violent attacks across Cabo Delgado. They burned homes, looted villages, kidnapped civilians and forcibly displaced tens of thousands of families.

The terror devastated Paulo’s community, killing loved ones and turning the place, he called home, into a front line. Everything changed overnight.

Forced to flee, Paulo arrived at Meculane Centre for Internally Displaced Persons with his wife and seven children—four of his own and three orphans he took in after their mothers were killed in the violence.

The transition was daunting. Farming was unfamiliar territory, and the idea of starting over in a completely new profession seemed overwhelming. But Paulo had no choice—his boat, his tools, his home were all gone.

“At first, I didn’t know what to do,” Paulo recalls. “The sea was all I had ever known. But when we arrived here, I realized I had to learn something new to survive.”

Determined to feed his family, Paulo joined the agricultural training sessions that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) offered in the community. It didn’t take long before he stood out as one of the most promising students.

“Now, I prefer the land to the sea,” Paulo says. “Farming is a profession that makes me happier. It’s less risky, and even if I don’t sell anything, at least I know my family will have something to eat.”

With funding from the African Development Bank, FAO provided Paulo with seeds for growing other vegetables, allowing him to improve his family’s nutrition. ©FAO/María Legaristi Royo

Building a livelihood from scratch

Since arriving in Meculane in 2021, Paulo has rebuilt his life from the ground up. What began as a daunting challenge—learning how to farm in unfamiliar terrain—has become a daily routine rooted in purpose and persistence.

After four years of hard work and learning by doing, Paulo and his wife now manage two one-hectare plots. They grow a variety of crops year-round and take turns tending the land.

On weekends, their older children—aged 10 and 12—join them in the fields, learning valuable skills while helping support the household. Together, they’ve turned adversity into a family livelihood.

Paulo grows beans, maize, watermelon, peas, peanuts, okra and cassava.

He divides the harvest into three purposes: family consumption, seed storage for the next season and selling surplus at the local market. That income covers fees for the five children in school, clothes, medicine and small savings.

Selling products at the market in Chiure, 25 kilometres away, is an additional challenge and cost. The journey by motorcycle costs up to 150 meticais (over USD 2)—an expense that adds pressure to his limited earnings.

After Cyclone Chido hit in 2024, FAO, together with the Government of Mozambique and with World Bank funding, set up an emergency seed and tool distribution programme to support the community in recovering from this latest crisis and helping them restart their farming. ©FAO/María Legaristi Royo

When disaster strikes, support matters

In 2022, FAO provided Paulo with four chickens. Since then, his flock has grown to 15, giving the family a steady supply of eggs and meat—and an extra source of income through selling chicks.

In 2024 and 2025, FAO, with funding from the African Development Bank, began a new project in the area, and Paulo received seeds for growing cabbage, onion, tomato and pumpkin. These crops allowed him to diversify his meals and improve his family’s nutrition.

However, in December of 2024, Cyclone Chido hit, and the storm flooded his home. It tore down parts of the roof and destroyed most of his stored seeds. In response, the Government of Mozambique and FAO, with World Bank funding, set up an emergency seed distribution programme to support the community in recovering from this latest crisis.

Paulo received new seeds and a hoe to restart his farming in time for the next planting season.

Cultivating resilience, one seed at a time

Paulo is slowly rebuilding once again.

“I had to start from zero,” he says. “But I know how to work, and now I have a new way to take care of my family.”

For families in Chiure and across Cabo Delgado, crises—whether driven by conflict or climate—have become part of daily life. Yet amidst these challenges, Paulo remains determined.

He dreams of expanding his plots, raising more livestock and building a safer home for his children.

Together with the Government of Mozambique and with the continued backing of its partners, FAO continues to help communities like Paulo’s strengthen their resilience so that even in the face of uncertainty, they can continue to grow, provide and work for a better future.

• Website: FAO country profile: Mozambique

*SOURCE: UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Go to ORIGINAL: https://www.fao.org/newsroom/story/from-sea-to-soil/en 2025 Human Wrongs Watch