Lídia Hilário Vicente is a farmer and a mother of three chilldren. She was recently elected as the Vice President of AKA Comercial cooperative. Lídia’s farm is locted near Mocuba in the Muraba neighborhood in Nadala, Mozambique. She produces corn and other crops such as manioc, peanuts, sesame and vegetables. By being part of FFD’s project, Lídia has learned about agricultural diversification and has started applying it. She produces corn for her family’s consuption and sells what is left over. When the year is good – that is, with regular rain and without pest attacks – Lídia’s farm produces more corn, which gives her some extra income that she uses to buy agricultural inputs and to cover some family expenses.

Lídia is a member of the Esperança de Nadala Union. At the beginning of FFD’s project, Lídia farmed 2ha of corn. When she learned that AKA was going to install a corn mill to add value to the members' products, she increased the corn production area to 3.5ha and decided to make that crop a cash crop instead of just being used for feeding her family.

Until recently, there was a delay in AKA’s plan to store and gind corn for AKA members. The storage facility’s roof had collapsed due to a storm and the mill was not functioning properly. Due to these issues, Lídia has sold her surplus corn on the market.

AKA repaired the storage building’s roof and the mill in 2020. Corn can now be stored and ground. Lídia is very happy now that she will be able to store, grind and sell a large amount of her corn (about 3 tonnes) through AKA as corn flour. This will significantly increase her income.