Teresa Massango, a farmer in Mozambique in Southeast Africa, is among the 80 percent of Mozambicans who depend on their land to feed themselves. They've faced war and famine, and are now threatened by investors wanting to profit from Mozambique's cheap land and labor.

CULTIVATING OPPORTUNITY tells the inspiring story of how poor communities in Mozambique and the United States are creating opportunities to better their lives. Their work is a road map to ending hunger and poverty, a journey that begins within the communities themselves.

In CULTIVATING OPPORTUNITY, communities in vastly different parts of the world demonstrate surprising similarities in the self-help solutions they champion to fight poverty. The video shows how these communities are creating the opportunities they need. Willie says, "I don't care what profession you're in; to just work hard doesn't do it. To just be committed doesn't do it. The opportunity must be there..."



Grade Level: 10-12, College, Adult
US Release Date: 1997     Copyright Date: 1997
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-967-4     VHS ISBN: 1-56029-731-X

Reviews "Cutting back and forth between the two states, this program mixes scenes of farming with comments from agriculture experts and self-reliant growers, who are determined to get a fair price for their products as well as easier access to loans. An interesting lesson in economics for classroom and public-library viewing." Booklist "Effective...introduction to cooperatives, especially from a sociological perspective." Rachel Lohafer, MC Journal "The cooperative ideal has worked well for two widely geographically separated groups of people with remarkably similar problems. This video is highly recommended for...agricultural economics and comparative farming systems." Buzz Haughton, UC Davis