As práticas de poupança, crédito, ajuda mútua e o seu impacto no desenvolvimento da agricultura: um estudo de caso nas zonas de sequeiro e regadio no distrito de Chókwè, província de Gaza

Abstract

Productive activities in any sector are strongly encouraged and accelerated when funding is available. Due to its economic nature, financing is for various reasons made in the form of credit. The importance of credit is based on the fact that it is an agent of production, as it accelerates production and distribution, increases business volume, facilitates the transfer of money, raising the level of business (Ettinger and Golieb, 1971). The institutions that provide the credit may be legally recognized by the authority of the countries (eg commercial banks); they can be informal, not legally recognized (eg loan sharks) or they can be semi-formal which are recognized but restricted in their financial activities (eg NGOs). It has now been noted that the formal sector does not effectively reach the rural poor with credit services in 3rd World countries (Von Pishke, 1984 and Larson et al, 1994 cited by Amino, 1999). As a response to this lack of connection between the formal sector and rural areas, the informal and semi-formal sector, through national and international NGOs, families, friends, neighbors, moneylenders and rural traders develop financing systems in order to solve problems with faced by activities in rural areas (Musona & Mbozi, 1998). The reduced funding by the formal sector to rural areas is due, among others, to the fact that, in rural areas, the most developed activity is agriculture, which is considered to be of high risk for funding. The present work portrays the forms of credit, savings and mutual aid that have been practiced in the district of Chókwè. The aim of this study is to evaluate its practice in the area, and its impact on the development of agriculture in that district, specifically in Macarretane, Massavasse, Chilembene and the city of Chókwè.