Nearly a decade after the beginning of economic liberalization, and nearly four years after the ending of the country's devastating civil war, Mozambique remains among the very poorest countries in the world.
Hunger remains a stark fact of life for large numbers of households.
Yet this panorama hides dramatic progress in recent years towards sustainable food security. This increased availability has been accompanied by lower and more stable staple food prices in key urban centers. With excellent cereals production anticipated throughout the Southern African region this year, Maputo white maize prices are likely to fall near or below historical lows. Data for the pre-drought period are not available outside of Maputo. The ending of the war was the sine qua non for improvements in food security.