Angola’s agriculture sector grew by 1.7% in 2024, but livestock production fell by 2.5%, according to the Statistical Yearbook of Agriculture and Forestry published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
The figures reveal that total crop production reached 28 million tons, driven mainly by family farming, which accounts for more than 90% of the 6.17 million hectares cultivated nationwide. This highlights the central role of smallholder agriculture in food supply and food security in Angola.
However, over the same period, livestock farming experienced significant declines, particularly in goat meat, egg, and milk production — signaling vulnerabilities in productive balance and the diversification of the national food base.
For farmer António Ulima, the numbers show that “the family farmer remains the backbone of agricultural production in Angola, but faces serious limitations, from lack of access to credit to shortages of modern equipment.”
Similarly, agronomist and producer Azevedo Simão warns that “without structured policies for technical and logistical support, family farming risks falling behind market demands, and the decline in livestock should serve as a wake-up call to strengthen integration between crops and animal husbandry.”
The INE report concludes that despite agricultural growth, the drop in livestock requires greater government attention and stronger public policies to balance production chains and ensure greater sustainability in the rural sector.
Source: Correio da Kianda
