A wiry woman, Querida Barequinha intently sorts through the coffee beans laid out on racks to dry in the sun, plucking out any that are cracked or misshapen.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media that Barequinha has been growing coffee for four years on the upper slopes of Mount Gorongosa, where clouds frequently cover the rainforest at the top. Now that a peace agreement has been signed between Mozambique's government and the Renamo rebels, whose military headquarters are nearby, she is planning to plant more coffee trees.

"I like growing coffee because it earns cash that goes right into my pocket," she said, with a darting smile. "I can buy soap, cooking oil, schoolbooks, and other household items. It's very useful."

A mother of seven, Barequinha said she is encouraging her family to join her in coffee production.

"I'd love to see others in my family grow coffee," she said, in chiGorongosi, a dialect of the Sena language. "It offers us a source of hope."

Barequinha is one of 400 Mozambican farmers producing coffee that earns them valued cash incomes while at the same time restores the rapidly eroding rainforest of Mount Gorongosa.

"Our aim is to promote agroforestry, high-value crops,".