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The Maputo Earth MarketThe Maputo Earth Market was started in 2013 by Slow Food in collaboration with the NGO, gVc. It is part of a project to support sustainable agriculture funded by the Emilia-Romagna Regional Authority. The market is coordinated by GVC with the support of UNAC (the national union of Mozambican farmers), the NGO ESSOR and the Slow Food Muteko-Waho Convivum. It is held on the last Saturday of every month from 10 am to 4 pm. The 13 participating producers sell street food, fresh fruit and vegetables, jams, alcoholic beverages and juices, grains, peanut butter, fish and eggs. For more information email mavalebatik@yahoo.com.br. To find out more about the Earth Market project go to www.earthmarkets.net.garden (part of the Slow Food 10,000 gardens for Africa project). The garden covers around a hectare, the sandy soil cultivated by 12 women who work together, preparing compost, saving seeds, managing the water and raising chickens. At the market, Flora proudly sells traditional greens (leaves from manioc, amaranth, pumpkin, sweet potato and beans) and the ingredients for flavorful sauces (carril) served with rice or millet, manioc or corn porridge. Autoapoio is not just an association of producers; Flora’s women are also the guardians of a plot that has belonged to their community for generations. The plot is currently threatened by the increasing urbanization of Maputo, an- other African capital experiencing an incredible rate of growth. As the new road connecting Maputo and Catembe passes right by the garden, defending the land from the spread of cement is becoming increasingly tough.For these small-scale producers, the Maputo Earth Market represents a meeting place where they can sell but also talk about their products, explain how they are grown, describe their cul- tural and nutritional value, and suggest traditional recipes for preparing them. A place for many communities to share their stories and their daily challenges, the Earth Market offers a valid alterna- tive to the African markets run entirely by middlemen and traders.27© alFrEdo BInI