Seeding the Machamba

The city of Beira has an extensive and integrated system of traditional agriculture that is under threat. Our project conceives of this system as more than just agriculture - it is a productive and preventative flood infrastructure. We envision that this agricultural system could coordinate communities, organize the city, and be the key to recovery and ongoing resilience.

• Consolidate and organize cooperatives at a city scale.
• Protect social and ecological capital.
• Empower women in agriculture
• Diversify income and create job opportunities. 
• Integrate adaptive, nature-based infrastructure.

• Machamba Neighborhood
• Machamba as a starting point to densify the surrounding housing.
• Co-op initiated the translocation of housing from low grounds to high grounds. 

• Community Center & Market
• Seed banks, agro-training and construction materials are provided by the Community Center & Market

Machamba seeding project will replicate and create a water retention system. With densified housing, high ground could accommodate people from other risk zone in low ground and mid ground. 

• REPLICATE MACHAMBA PROJECTS
• Neighborhood Machamba system replicates creating a water retention system.

• UPGRADE HOUSING
• Highground People are incentivized to upgrade their housing capacity

• INCREASE AGENCY
• Densified neighborhoods receive government funding for more schools / hospitals / playgrounds 
• Residents are encouraged to densify by receiving more funding, maximizing the impact of governmental investment.

• Dry season 
• neighborhood machamba as the agricultural social space for self sufficiency

• Rain season
• machambas working as a water retention system

• Extreme condition 
• Community center as the safe gathering point, providing food, emergency healthcare, boats for transportation, as well as for protecting the seeds, tools. New housing allows flooding at the ground level.

Neighborhood Machamba System

• Building mounds near the existing neighborhood machamba.
• Non-farmer shifted to highland
• Expanding Irrigation system.
• Housing with multi-purpose ground floor.

Agro-training Hub / Market

• Providing agro-training, seeds, irrigation construction training / materials.
• Agricultural product storage and transportation.

CREATING MOUNDS

• Densifying mounds with facilities
•  People stewarding land and protecting it from urban growth get credits

EXPANDING THE MACHAMBA

• expanded machamba along the canal and mounds
• proper irrigation system built

• Dry season
• productive agriculture, food to schools

• Rain season
• fields as water retention in a city scale, canals as water transportation, network of mounds.

Machamba System: Large machamba

• Tapping into the reservoir for agriculture irrigation and aquaculture
• Transitioning farmers to a floating machamba typologies.

Food Industries

• Food processing+packaging facilities
• In order for Beira to boost its economy, it first needs to build a manufacturing base. Innovation relies on building infrastructure and capacity to become the driver for economic growth.

In order for Beira to boost its economy, it first needs to expand its manufacturing base.

LARGER RETENTION SYSTEM

• Creating more water holding areas.

EXPANDING THE CAPACITY OF THE INDUSTRIES 

• Agriculture industry: seed companies, food processing, etc
• Connection with the Beira Agricultural Corridor to increase business.
• Training facilities for farmers to transition to a water-based agricultural system.
• transportation