Caxito — The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO has said it will continue to provide technical support to strengthen and train family farming in Angola, the coordinator of the FAO's family farming unit, Miguel Watanga said Tuesday.

Speaking to the press at the public consultation for the creation of the Family Farming Policy and the Rural Extension Development Program, Miguel Watanga said the technical assistance provided by the organization would make it possible to increase production and make the country self-sufficient.

According to Miguel Watanga, FAO defines family farming as an activity practiced by small producers who have up to 5 hectares and whose management is mainly done by family members.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, the director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture, Farming and Fisheries, Faustino Ngonga, said family farmers manage diversified agricultural systems and preserve traditional food products that contribute to a balanced diet.

The National Development Plan PDN 2023-2027 portrays the agriculture sector as the engine of inclusive growth and the driver of national productivity that guarantees the economic and social well-being of the population.

Among the proposals put forward by farmers, Ngonga said they include access routes for production flow, production factors, financing, hiring of new technicians and rural infrastructure and services.

Ngonga added that in Angola, family farming represents around 90 percent of agricultural activity and is responsible for 80 percent of national production.

Representatives of agricultural, farming and fisheries associations, cooperatives and municipal directors of agriculture are also taking part in the meeting being held in northern Bengo province. FS/CJ/IF/AMP