Angolan Families To Benefit From U.N. Plans

New York, NY (AHN) - More than 120,000 Angolan families will benefit from plans backed by the United Nations that will increase agriculture productivity and boost markets. Peace has brought bright new prospects to the southern African nation where agricultural production took a backseat to three decades of war.

But the U.N. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which fights rural poverty, intends to give agriculture a boost. It will provide $44.3 million for five projects in Angola that will directly benefit 311,800 households.

Those projects will improve farmers' skills and knowledge by setting up farmer field schools and by holding workshops, exchange visits and study tours to share lessons, a U.N. statement said.

"Angola could be a rich agricultural country, but the war and lack of investment have severely held back the sector," Carla Ferreira, country program manager for IFAD said.

IFAD will promote agriculture in the country and help revitalize the nation's markets. Meanwhile, a Chinese delegation from the Sino-Africa Development Fund arrived in Luanda, Angola on Tuesday to survey the Angolan market and to identify and establish possible partnerships, All Africa news reports.

"Angola is becoming one of the stopping-places for those who want to help our country to grow and create better living conditions for its people," Angola's ambassador to China, Joao Manuel Bernardo, was quoted as saying by All Africa news.

This is all good news for the nation where three decades of war has left 68 percent of Angolans living below the poverty line and 15 percent of households living in extreme poverty, according to a statement from the U.N.