What do mountains and fields have to do with each other?

Here at Legado, we work in the most hyper-biodiverse mountains in the world by partnering with the people who call these mountains home. The majority of people living on Mount Namuli, our flagship site, are farmers. And that means a key part of our work focuses on the interaction of mountainside agriculture and the forest biodiversity. 

I recently received a field note from Stephanie, our Program Assistant in Mozambique, that I wanted to share with you. A few weeks ago, she met with Señor Serrate Voloua (pictured below) — a community member that depends entirely on this harmonious relationship between mountains and fields.

On the last bumpy curve before arriving in the community of Mucunha, there is a narrow foot trail that winds up the hillside and leads to the house of Señor Serrote Voloua. Secretary and member of the Community Natural Resource Group, Serrote dreams green, and he has a yard full of trees to show for it. 

A true community botanist, Serrote has collected stems of wild flowers and plants from the forests to plant in his garden, alongside his pear, eucalyptus and avocado trees, as well as his new mooring seedlings. Señor Voloua has been a key member of the Community Natural Resource Group of Mucunha, and has led the community with early testing and implementing of new agricultural techniques in his machambas (fields). 

Señor Volouva’s vision is be a producer of diverse crops and to have a machamba full of trees, he’s adding new shades of green to his vision by being committed not only to building a forest of his own, but to becoming a producer of seedlings to supply community members and encourage them to follow his example.  He’s pursuing a thriving future — one leaf at a time.

The Community Natural Resource Group Señor Voloua leads is one of eight that Legado has helped establish on Mount Namuli. These groups are an essential component of longterm change. They are the hub of discussion and consensus around how each community with take direction and leadership over their own natural resource management plan.

Your support of Legado over the past few years has been a key factor in us being able to establish these groups and work with their members on an ongoing basis. Together, we are all working towards a future where Mount Namuli’s forests, rivers, and farms can all thrive together.

Learn more about Mount Namuli and explore it with our 360 Virtual Reality Tour when you click the button below.