Paicha Canicio, 31 years old, is a native and resident of the district of Metuge, Cabo Delgado province, is part of the host communities for those displaced by the terrorist attacks, and is an active member of the Ophentana Farmers club.
Paicha's story is similar to that of many other members of his community who today find agriculture their main source of livelihood.
"Before we were organized into clubs, we worked the land based on traditional methods and our production was very low and not diversified like now that we produce vegetables. I used to dedicate most of my time to charcoal production, but I decided to dedicate myself entirely to agriculture when the trees started to get scarce and also because we already had technical personnel to accompany us.
Today, at the club we produce tomatoes, lettuce, onions, okra, and peppers, with part of the production for consumption and the other for sale at the local market, which has improved our lives day after day.