Angola's Program on Development of Irrigated Regions and Family Farming Policies begins

A Brazilian delegation came to Angola in the week of June 19, in order to participate in field visits and strategic meetings, under the Technical Cooperation Program "Development of irrigated regions and policies to support family farming in Angola" (Development of the Cunene River Valley).

The initiative, signed last year on the occasion of the 3 ^rd meeting of the Brazil-Angola High-Level Bilateral Commission, has not yet had activities started. During the mission, the first meeting of the Steering Committee will be held with a view to jointly preparing the 2023/2025 work plan, in which the first priority projects and actions for the period will be laid down.

The delegation was received by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Angola, Mr. Antônio Francisco de Assis. Since the beginning of the week, the delegation has also visited the regions of Ongiva, in Cunene, and Lubango, in Huíla, where they met with family farmers, members of cooperatives and local representatives who work in the irrigated perimeters of the Cunene Valley. During the visits, the delegation had the opportunity to gather information in order to prepare a situation report on the region benefiting from irrigation projects, including mapping of local stakeholders, assessment of available infrastructures, and initial analysis of weather and soil conditions, as well as that of local agricultural production systems.

The program is unprecedented in Angola, as it seeks to promote the development of the entire region of the Cunene River Valley, located in the South of the country, on the border with Namibia, which has been severely affected by droughts over the last few years. Based on successful Brazilian experiences in the São Francisco Valley and Petrolina, aimed at coping with the effects of drought, the initiative aims to share with Angola the achievements made in Brazil.

Next Friday (23), the Brazilian delegation will end their trip by holding a seminar on “Brazilian agrarian policy and cooperation with Angola”, organized by ABC (Brazilian Cooperation Agency) and the Angolan government.

The Brazilian delegation includes representatives of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture (MDA), the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development (MIDR), the National Agency for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (ANATER), the São Francisco and Parnaíba River Valley Development Company (CODEVASF), the National Supply Company (CONAB) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA).

The initiative is coordinated by ABC in response to a request submitted by the Angolan Government for support from Brazil in planning of water resources use and organization of production chains in the province of Cunene. The region started getting irrigation when a canal was put into use in April 2022. The works are part of the “Water Transfer Scheme between the Cubango and Cunene Basins and the Cuvelai and Land Dam Water Reservoirs”, implemented by the government of Angola.