Angola’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister Isaac dos Anjos on Thursday called for greater use of domestically produced crops — including cassava, sweet potato, maize and pumpkin — as a means of diversifying the national diet, generating household income and strengthening food security.
Speaking at a ceremony in Luanda to mark World Food Day, observed on 1 October under the theme ‘Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow’, dos Anjos said that reinforcing family farming, integrating youth and women into agricultural value chains, and elevating national produce were the keys to converting the country’s agricultural potential into tangible improvements in food security and household earnings.
The minister placed particular emphasis on the central role women play in agri-food production and in sustaining families, calling for stronger access to credit for women farmers as a priority measure.
Dos Anjos further argued that transforming agri-food systems requires placing nutrition at the heart of public policy, alongside investment in innovation, capacity building, financing and international cooperation, as well as greater attention to traditionally underutilised local products.
He highlighted a moment of international recognition for Angolan women in agriculture: the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) selected 600 women from 162 countries in connection with the occasion, among them an Angolan woman involved in cassava production, who was included in the group of 100 honourees.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Angola, Amanda Mukwashi, said that guaranteeing food security means investing in people and creating opportunities for women, young people, persons with disabilities and families affected by drought and climate change.
Mukwashi noted that, under the framework of cooperation between Angola and the United Nations, more than 7,000 farmers have been trained, 3,000 children and pregnant women have benefited from nutrition programmes, and over 116,000 people now have improved access to safe water.
Secretary of State for Climate Action and Sustainable Development Nascimento Soares warned that ‘there will be no lasting food security without protecting the natural resources that sustain food production in the country’. He cited the mounting impact of climate change — including drought, flooding and shifting rainfall patterns — on agriculture, livestock, fisheries and rural communities.
Secretary of State for Fisheries and Marine Resources Álvaro dos Santos, for his part, called for innovation across the entire production and distribution chain, stronger coordination between agriculture and fisheries to expand the domestic supply of fish, and greater inclusion of artisanal fishers, women, young people and small-scale producers.
The World Food Day commemoration was organised by FAO Angola and the World Food Programme (WFP) in partnership with the Angolan government, and brought together representatives from the ministries of Agriculture and Forestry, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Environment and Health, as well as the African Union and United Nations agencies, with the aim of reinforcing collective commitment to the eradication of hunger and sustainable development.
Source: ANGOP / Original article: https://www.angop.ao/noticias/economia/produtos-nacionais-constituem-oportunidades-para-diversificacao-alimentar/
