MAPUTO, May 8 (Xinhua) -- As the morning sun glows over the banks of the Limpopo River in Gaza Province, Mozambique, golden rice ears sway gently in the breeze. Among the bending stalks heavy with grain, Gerson Joao, a farmer, is busy working.

"Without this land, I could not afford to send my two children to college," he said.

Gerson is one of 353 smallholders partnering with Wanbao, a Chinese-invested modern rice farm in southern Mozambique. His 2.7-hectare field brought in nearly 100,000 meticais (around 1,565 U.S. dollars) this season, enough to cover his children's tuition and support the household.

Launched in 2011 in Xai-Xai, the provincial capital of Gaza, Wanbao was later supported by the China-Africa Development Fund. With around 20,000 hectares of land, including about 3,333 hectares of rice paddies, it is one of the largest modern rice-growing operations in Africa, producing 16,000 tons of rice annually.

Through years of experimentation, the farm has established a mature cooperation model. Local households receive land, seeds, fertilizers, technical training, and financial support, with the company purchasing their harvests under pre-agreed contracts. As a result, average yields have risen from one to two tons per hectare to five to seven tons, and land-use efficiency has grown tenfold.

Angelica Mavuie, a single mother who joined the project in 2018, started with just one hectare. Her first harvest earned her over 60,000 meticais (around 940 U.S. dollars). "After my husband passed, I had no way to support my family," she recalled. Thanks to her earnings, she connected electricity and water to her home and completed a long-stalled construction project. Last year, she earned nearly 130,000 meticais (around 2,034 U.S. dollars), enough to buy cement, furniture, and new clothes for her children.

"Now, my home looks just like my husband dreamed," she said with pride.

Community elders also speak highly of the Chinese team's dedication. "They taught us how to plant, how to manage land, and how to increase yields," said Fabiao Matsolo, a village chief. During last year's floods, he recalled, the Chinese staff worked day and night to repair irrigation channels and protect the fields. "Even when we did not understand their words, they used gestures to explain everything with patience," he said.

According to Armando M. Ussivane, manager of the Lower Limpopo Irrigation Company, Wanbao has introduced high-yield Chinese rice varieties and modern farming inputs while partnering with local technicians on field guidance. Some farmers have now developed the capacity to manage production and sales independently.

According to Wanbao's General Manager Shao Jiayun, the farm employs 156 full-time local staff and over 1,000 seasonal workers during peak periods. The company has also trained more than 2,000 farmers and agricultural workers since the project began. With an annual local rice supply of 12,000 to 15,000 tons, representing about six percent of Mozambique's domestic rice output, the farm contributes meaningfully to national food security in a country that still imports more than double its domestic production.

Looking out over the rippling fields, Matsolo said simply, "With Wanbao here, we won't go hungry."■