Responses to climate change and food security are most effective when designed in accordance with locally prioritized needs. To this end, the Mozambique Ministry of Economy and Finance is—with UNCDF technical support and financing from the Belgian Government—working to strengthen decentralized local governance and local development finance, focusing first on the Gaza Province in southern Mozambique.

The central component of the LoCAL development initiative is the Performance Based Grant System for climate resilience (PBCRGS). Through the PBGS, funds are allocated to district governments to be invested for socially driven climate resilient investments that further enhance community resilience. Capital grants within LoCAL are trickled down via the National Financial Management System (e-SISTAFE) to reinforce district government fiscal capacity for investments in public infrastructure, equipments and services. The PBCRGS and its associated package of technical and capacity building support is also a tool for integrating CCA into local government planning and budgeting systems as well as to enhance community resilient to food insecurity at the district level.

Ministry guidelines adopted in 2015 require that cross-cutting themes, including climate change adaptation and food and nutrition security, be mainstreamed into all new district development plans (DDPs). These plans also are now to cover 10 years rather than 5. From its offices in Xai Xai, the provincial capital, the Provincial Directorate of Economy and Finance (PDEF) is taking the lead in assisting its districts in updating their DDPs. A PDEF team is providing technical assistance to targeted district governments to develop a suitable methodology to ensure the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and food and nutrition security in their DDPs. This assistance extends to ensuring that district government capacities are adequately reinforced to enable plan actualization.
The PDEF team is leading the targeted district governments through the following main planning steps in DDP development:

1. Create and train district government planning teams.
2. Gather and analyse data on climate change adaptation and food and nutrition security.
3. Define strategic objectives.
4. Elaborate an action plan.
5. Elaborate a monitoring and evaluation system.

In April 2016, the PDEF technical team spent three days in Massingir providing training and technical support to the district technical team (see photos). The first day was devoted to sharing and testing methodological tools. Data collection took place on the second day in two rural communities, one of which is regularly affected by drought and the other by drought and periodic floods. On the third day, PDEF led the team in preliminary analysis and compilation of the data. The district technical team will next produce a report to serve as a basis for defining district government strategic objectives for elaboration of the DDP. The PDEF team is looking to extend its support beyond the project target districts to include the remaining five districts in Gaza.

PDEF training of District Technical staff in Massingir Day 1. Team training and testing of methodological tools

PDEF training of District Technical staff in Massingir Day 1. Team training and testing of methodological tools

PDEF training of District Technical staff in Massingir Day 2. Data collection in the Ringane village

PDEF training of District Technical staff in Massingir Day 2. Data collection in the Ringane village

PDEF training of District Technical staff in Massingir Day 3. Data analysis and compilation

PDEF training of District Technical staff in Massingir Day 3. Data analysis and compilation