Cabo Verde and FAO
Partnering for resilience and sustainable rural development
Cape Verde and FAO have partnered since 1976, with technical and operational assistance spanning the food and
agriculture sector and including communication for development and institution building. Owing to the impact of drought
and desertification, early interventions were mainly focused on emergency assistance. There has since been a shift towards
longer-term development interventions and a greater concentration on food and nutrition security, increased agricultural
production and productivity, improved land management, value chain development and food safety.
Towards a hunger-free Community
Within the framework of a Food Security and Nutrition
Strategy, approved in 2012, FAO is working with the
Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries
(CPLP), including Cabo Verde, towards the achievement
of a hunger-free community. Food insecurity currently
affects about 28 million people among the CPLPs total 
population of 250 million.
In 2013, FAO invested about US$14 million in activities
carried out in CPLP member states. In the first half of
2014 alone, investments amounted to US$9 million
all of which were channelled to support the five
commitments endorsed in 2012 during the CPLP Summit
held in Maputo, Mozambique.
The Organizations operational strategy in CPLP countries
has sought to strengthen governance mechanisms for
food and nutrition security, by improving coordination
and providing technical support to create and update
regulatory policies. It has supported family farming and
aquaculture as pillars of food security in CPLP countries
and promoted nutritional education through school
feeding. Food and nutrition requirements have been
linked with family farming production wherever possible.
Contacts
Mr Remi Nono Womdim
FAO Representative in Cabo Verde
FAO Representation
Immeuble des Nations Unies Avenida OUA - Meio da
Achada de Santo Antnio 66
Praia, Cabo Verde
Tel: +238 261 3780
E-mail: FAO-CV@fao.org
Matching FAOs expertise to Cabo Verdes
development priorities
FAO assistance in Cabo Verde is shaped by the 2012-2016
FAO Country Programming Framework (CPF), which is
centred on five medium-term priority areas:
 Improving food availability at the national level,
with an emphasis on increased productivity and
diversification of agricultural production, strengthened
agricultural support services and capacity building in the
area of natural resource policy and management.
 Enhancing access to food through the development of
agricultural markets, trade and agro-processing.
 Stabilizing food supply through improved disaster risk
management, including capacity building for adaptation
to climate change.
 Supporting food security programmes to enhance
household food and nutritional security as well as the
right to food, with a focus on implementation of the
national Food Security Strategy and the School Feeding
Programme.
 Providing regulatory, political and institutional
support to the public and private sectors, with a focus
agriculture, natural resources management, rural
development and food security.
Jointly developed with the Government and other
partners, the CPF reflects relevant priorities in key national
development policies, with the National Agricultural
Investment Plan (2010-2015), the Strategic Plan for
Agricultural Development Plan (2011-2015) and the
Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy III (2012-2016).
Cabo Verde is a middle-income country, where certain
resource partners are absent. Sharpening the focus
of resource mobilization is therefore a top priority for
implementation of the current CPF. Accordingly, in 2014 FAO
contributed to the review of the UN Development Assistance
Framework/One UN Programme cycle. Cabo Verde is
involved in FAOs Regional Initiative for Rice Development
6/2015
in Africa.
 Towards a hunger-free Community Global knowledge transfer
(continued) Recognizing the importance of knowledge and technology
Key processes and national policies supported by FAO in Cabo transfer among countries of the global South, and
Verde include: furthering its collaboration within the CPLP, in December
 Establishment of the National Council for Food and 2014 FAO promoted a training workshop on Planning and
Nutrition Security Implementing Contract Farming Operations at the Lisbon-
based CPLP headquarters.
 Review of the National Strategy for Food and Nutrition
Security and preparation of the National Plan for Food Attendees included senior government officials and selected
and Nutrition Security (2014-2016) professionals from CPLP countries, all of whom are expected
 Preparation of the National Agricultural Investment to be active in the promotion or facilitation of contract
Programme, in order to implement the ECOWAS and farming operations in their countries. Participants came
NEPAD Common Agricultural Policy from Portugal, Cabo Verde, Angola, Sao Tom and Prncipe,
 Preparation of the conceptual framework for the National Brazil, Guinea Bissau and East Timor.
School Feeding Programme Contract farming is
 Capacity building of national staff in aquaculture and the receiving increased Interventions should be
introduction of Tilapia. attention by governments based on the concept of
Project: Supporting the implementation of the CPLP Regional Strategy and development the human right to food.
for Food Security and Nutrition towards the establishment of a hunger professionals, in view of Fighting hunger is not
free Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) changes in international charity, nor should it be
agro-food systems that dependent solely on a
Building resilient agricultural systems are leading to a greater governments good will.
In spite of a reduced crop, overall food availability in Cabo Verde alignment among actors Jos Graziano da Silva
is expected to be adequate throughout the 2014/15 marketing in agribusiness production FAO Director-General
year. The sharp decline in production is however expected to chains. There is growing
have a negative impact on farmers income and access to food. focus on contract farming as a mechanism to coordinate
In this context, results of the last Cadre Harmonis country market linkages between farmers, agricultural and agro-
analysis indicate that about 32 000 people are currently industrial companies.
in Phase 3 (Crisis) of the Integrated Food Security Phase Participants had the opportunity to discuss contract
Classification and they require urgent assistance. farming concepts, planning, good operational practices and
In January 2015, FAO participated in the joint mission to legal issues. They also analysed case studies and had an
formulate a US$500000 project in support of Cabo Verdes opportunity to observe contract farming in practice during
drought-affected farmers. The Organization is providing field visits to two agricultural companies in Portugal.
assistance to more than 8 000 rural households whose food The workshop included presentations on Brazils fruit value
security and livelihoods are at risk following sharp falls in chain contracts, presented by a researcher from EMBRAPAs
crop production. This emergency intervention includes the Center for Tropical Agro-industries.
distribution of agricultural kits containing maize, bean and
cowpea seeds, and those households whose irrigation-based
production was severely disrupted by drought received
tomato, cabbage and onion seeds. Thousands of animals were
also threatened by the low rain levels, and animal feed was
distributed to breeding households.
In addition, drip irrigation equipment was provided where
appropriate, as a crucial element of resilience building in Cabo
Verde entails efforts to reduce the farmers dependence on
highly variable and unpredictable rainfall.
Project: Emergency Assistance for Strengthening Livelihoods of
Drought-Affected Vulnerable Populations. Delivered under FAOs
Technical Cooperation Programme.
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