Africa-Press – Angola. The Angolan government announced the construction of five agro-villages in the provinces of Cunene, Cuando, Moxico Leste, Malanje and Cuanza Norte, budgeted at 57.2 billion kwanzas (59.6 million euros), to reduce poverty and rural exodus.
The Agro-Village Development Plan (PDA), approved by presidential decree of 25 February to which Lusa, states that agro-villages (agricultural villages) constitute a policy measure to strengthen the local administration of the State with a greater impact on border areas, where the aim is to intensify human settlements.
In the first phase, the PDA includes five agro-villages in five Angolan provinces – Cunene, Cuando, Moxico Leste, Malanje and Cuanza Norte – covering 3,557 families, which is equivalent to approximately 17,785 people, the document states.
The five agricultural villages, budgeted at 57.2 billion kwanzas (59.6 million euros), must ensure, “in the short and medium term”, the improvement of the living conditions of families”.
Increasing production and productivity, generating income, creating jobs, reducing poverty and reducing rural exodus are the purposes of agrovilas, understood as a rural community, planned and designed to promote sustainable agriculture.
According to the PDA, these agricultural villages include housing, cultivation areas, basic infrastructure and services and are aimed at vulnerable families from peri-urban and rural areas, demobilized members of the armed forces and former combatants, young people, widows and other interested citizens.
In agro-villages, the land is mainly used for agricultural production, including housing, highlights the dispatch already published in the Official Gazette, indicating the production of grains, fruit growing, horticulture, fish farming, poultry farming, beekeeping and livestock farming as the chosen activities.
The decree signed by the Angolan President, João Lourenço, determines that the sectors responsible for Agriculture and Forestry and Energy and Water are responsible for ensuring technical support for the construction of hydraulic infrastructures with a view to guaranteeing the sustainability of agricultural activity.
The PDA establishes the construction of 3,577 social housing units of the T1 type, with secondary and tertiary roads that facilitate the circulation and flow of agricultural production, rural electrification projects, preferably with renewable energy sources and access to drinking water.
Authorities must also build and rehabilitate water collection and distribution systems for irrigation of approximately 2,300 hectares.
The indicative budget for the construction of agro-villages includes actions linked to studies, projects and inspection, acquisition of agricultural and construction equipment, block machines and accessories, cleaning and subdivision of land and construction of artesian wells.
The implementation of the first phase of agro-villages in Angola, which should take place between 2025 and 2027, will be the responsibility of local state administration bodies, supervised by a multi-sectoral commission coordinated by the Minister of State for Economic Coordination.
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