FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme Supports Cabo Verde to Achieve Food and Nutrition Security
Rome / Praia / Beijing - The FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme has contributed $1.5 million to launch a project in the Republic of Cabo Verde, focused on capacity development for production systems to enhance food and nutrition security in the country.
The project agreement was signed on 4 February in Praia, Cabo Verde by H.E. Gilberto Correia Carvalho Silva, Minister for Agriculture and the Environment of Cabo Verde, and the FAO Representative in Cabo Verde, Ana Laura Touza. It was previously countersigned in Beijing by H.E. Zhang Taolin, Vice Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. The Ambassador of China to Cabo Verde, H.E. Du Xiaocong, also participated in the signing ceremony.
The project will assist the Government of Cabo Verde in undertaking capacity development activities at all levels, through different modalities such as study tours to China and field trainings in Cabo Verde, including Training of Trainers.
“All this, together with the efforts being made in the field of soil and water conservation, and other policies resulting from our climate change agenda, leads us to believe that we are on the right track, on the road to an increasingly resilient and climate-change adapted agriculture, more intelligent and geared towards enhancing food and nutrition security, taking into account the need to produce more healthy food and put it on the Cape Verdeans' table" said H.E Gilberto Silva, Minister of Agriculture and Environment of Cabo Verde.
Specific priority areas to be supported during this three-year project include agricultural production, pest control, livestock and seaweed aquaculture.
"China supports the development of agriculture in Africa not only bilaterally but also trilaterally and multilaterally” said H.E. Du Xiaocong, Ambassador of China to Cabo Verde. “This tripartite agreement shows that in the very near future China will support more international partners and will offer more support in the field of agriculture to African countries.”
Under the FAO-China SSC Programme, this three-year project will be implemented through the fielding of seven experts from China to Cabo Verde and a series of capacity development and direct training activities coordinated jointly by FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Cabo Verde, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China.
"The ultimate objectives of the project are to reduce poverty, improve living conditions for the population of Cabo Verde, increase employment especially of women and young people, and grow the economy through the promotion of agricultural production systems that enhance the food and nutritional security of the population” said Ms Ana Laura Touza, FAO Representative in Cabo Verde. “The project aims to directly benefit more than 4500 people, namely farmers, breeders, researchers, students and technicians, seeking an equal coverage between men and women.”
FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme
China has been one of FAO’s main partners in the promotion of South-South and triangular cooperation. Since 2009, the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme has benefited more than 70,000 people directly in 12 developing countries in Africa and Asia. Cabo Verde will be the fourteenth country to implement national project under the FAO-China SSC Programme.