FRESAN donates 670 seed banks to strengthen food security in Angola

ANGOLA – The Strengthening Food and Nutrition Resilience and Security in Angola (FRESAN), has donated 670 drums to 1300 families in Angola’s Humpata municipality, Huila province in a bid to improve seed storage and conservation.

The drums are low-cost, highly durable and suitable for the family setup as they reduce post-harvest losses, avoid the use of insecticides, increase conservation time, protect the grains from rodents and increase food security for the families.

According to Flora Fernandes, municipal director of Agriculture of Humpata, the drums can store upto 200 kg of grains and they must be stored in elevated positions to avoid contact with humidity.

Mr. Fernandes noted that the 1300 families were selected from 19 organised and most productive associations from different locations in the municipality.

He emphasized that the farmers should store their surplus grain harvests in the drums after they have set aside some for subsistence use. This system will aid communities to create small seed banks for agricultural campaigns.

Mr. Fernandes also reiterated that eucalyptus leaves, wood ash, gindungo, garlic and soil from Morro de Salale could be used for seed preservation, and that when feeling the drum, layers of seed and preservative materials should be alternated.

The FRESAN Program aims to contribute to the reduction of hunger, poverty and vulnerability to food and nutrition insecurity in the southern provinces of the country most affected by climate change – Cunene, Huíla and Namibe

It focuses on strengthening sustainable family farming, improving the population’s nutritional situation, access to water, adapting to climate change, strengthening information systems on food and nutrition security, and supporting capacity building in institutions.

This program is funded by the EU and partially implemented by Camões – Institute for Cooperation and Language, IP, FAO, UNDP, and Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus.

For the period between 2018 and 2025, the EU allocated €65 million in to bak the program.According to FRESAN, the financing  has supported key demographics across the three target regions in attaining key skills and competencies with which to better their lives and help Angola in their quest towards attaining food security.

A total of 3,913 farmers have benefited from the initiative in the marketing of agricultural and/or processed products and 81,255 women of reproductive age in nutrition awareness training

In addition, FRESAN has also helped 234,668 people in gaining access to clean water by building or rehabilitating small water infrastructures and 2,915 extension agents and public servants to get trained in SAN (food and nutrition security) and resilience.

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