Farmers working along the Cafu canal in Angola's southern Cunene province are hailing the irrigation scheme as a critical driver of food production, particularly of cereals and vegetables, as the project enters its third full growing season.
Andreia Figueira, owner of the Guinart cooperative, told the Angolan state news agency ANGOP on Monday that the canal's fertile land has delivered strong harvests, with tomatoes, onions and cassava among the standout crops.
Figueira said she intends to expand her cultivated area to stimulate and diversify output of cereals, tubers and vegetables, though she noted the initiative is contingent on securing financing.
Armando Nguelepete, a farmer at the Tulutima estate, said he is currently growing cabbage, cassava, tomatoes and peppers across four hectares and expects to harvest approximately three tonnes from the current cycle.
Nguelepete flagged difficulties in obtaining fuel at filling stations for the water pumps used to irrigate his plots, a constraint that has hampered vegetable cultivation along the canal.
He recalled that his first harvest in the 2024/2025 season 'did not produce good results due to pest damage', but said he now expects yields of more than four tonnes of cabbage, tomatoes and onions in the current season.
Piedade Pena, chairman of the board of Cwam Angola, described the Cafu canal as fundamental to the national economy and the country's productive development, arguing that it supports agriculture, livestock farming and job creation in the region.
Pena noted that a financing agreement covering 50 cooperatives along the Cafu will help scale up production of maize, sorghum, pearl millet, beans and tomatoes across the scheme.
The canal is increasingly establishing itself as a food production hub, creating economic sustainability for the surrounding region. In its first three years of operation, the Cafu scheme generated approximately 18,000 tonnes of cereals, vegetables and tubers.
The canal encompasses five thousand hectares of available land, of which 136.28 hectares are currently under cultivation. An evaluation process for cooperative membership applications is under way to further stimulate agricultural output.
Along the length of the canal, 94 Agricultural Field Schools (ECA) have been established, engaging 2,280 smallholder families from the municipalities of Ombadja, Cuanhama and Namacunde.
The project was inaugurated in April 2022 by President João Lourenço. It features an open-air canal stretching approximately 165 kilometres, drawing water from a reservoir on the Cafu section of the Cunene river.
The Cafu canal is the first of five projects in the Angolan government's programme of structural interventions to combat drought in the region, an initiative designed to benefit 235,000 people.
Source: ANGOP / Original article: https://www.angop.ao/noticias/agricultura/agricultores-destacam-canal-do-cafu-como-factor-essencial-na-producao-de-bens-alimentares/
