The Agro-Village Development Plan (PDA), approved by presidential decree of 25 February, which Lusa had access to on Friday, 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 increase human settlements.
In the first phase, the PDA includes five agro-villages in five provinces – Cunene, Cuando, Moxico Leste, Malanje and Cuanza Norte – covering 3557 families, which is equivalent to approximately 17,785 people, the document states.
The five agricultural villages, budgeted at 57.2 billion kwanzas, 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 the rural exodus are the purposes of the agro-villages, understood as a rural community, planned and designed to promote sustainable agriculture.
According to the PDA, these agricultural villages include housing, farming areas, basic infrastructure and services and are aimed at vulnerable families from peri-urban and rural areas, demobilized soldiers 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 of the Union, 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 president, João Lourenço, determines that it is up to the sectors responsible for Agriculture and Forestry and Energy and Water to ensure technical support for the construction of hydraulic infrastructures with a view to guaranteeing the sustainability of agricultural activity.
The PDA establishes the construction of 3577 social housing units of the T1 type, with secondary and tertiary roads that facilitate the circulation and flow of agricultural and livestock 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 2300 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.
