Revitalising and modernising smallholder agriculture: The Aldeia Nova Project in Angola

The Aldeia Nova Project in Angola is aimed at demobilising ex-combatants to rural areas and settling them in modern agricultural communities. The first settlers arrived in the Waku-Kungu Valley in 2005 and now 600 families are using modern agricultural technology to produce milk, eggs and vegetables, which are marketed in the urban centres. The Project has enhanced the families' livelihoods and provided employment to hundreds of other Angolans, and the entire region has been revitalised, with a large number of new families arriving to enjoy the benefits of the improved local economy. This paper presents the concept of the Project, describes its evolution and discusses its strengths and weaknesses. It concludes that the Project has had benefits beyond its measureable economic impact and that Aldeia Nova's original and ambitious goals are not beyond the reach of the Angolan people.