Agricultural extension linking science and on-farm production in Angola

On the morning of December 25, Mr. Le Quoc Thanh, Director of the National Agricultural Extension Center (NAEC), received and held a working meeting with a delegation from Angola’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The meeting took place shortly after the visit to Angola by a delegation from Viet Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment from December 9-14, aimed at strengthening cooperation in the agriculture and forestry sectors.

Training agricultural extension officers between Viet Nam and Angola

At the meeting, Mr. Le Quoc Thanh noted that the Vietnamese delegation's previous working visit to Angola had made a strong impression. According to him, Angola’s natural conditions are similar to those of Viet Nam.

"Angola is a region with great agricultural production potential, where most crops grown in Viet Nam can also perform well here. However, at present, local farmers still mainly apply traditional farming methods, with limited use of agricultural inputs and intensive techniques to improve productivity", Mr. Thanh noted.

According to NAEC leadership, the core issue is not only identifying advantageous crop varieties or appropriate techniques, but also, more importantly, how Angolan farmers can access technological advances and improved seed varieties, and gradually move toward commodity production standards. This is precisely the irreplaceable role of the agricultural extension system.

Mr. Le Quoc Thanh presented Viet Nam’s agricultural extension pillar, which is organized relatively comprehensively from the central to local levels, reaching down to provinces and communes. "When farmers face difficulties accessing advanced solutions, agricultural extension serves as the ‘extended arm’ of science and technology in practical production," he emphasized.

As the main implementing agency for the project in Angola, NAEC will support training Angola’s agricultural staff at both management and technical levels by sending personnel to study and receive training in Viet Nam. At the same time, Viet Nam’s experienced extension specialists in rice, forestry, cassava raw material areas, and irrigation will be deployed to Angola.

Experience shows that even the highest-quality crop varieties, such as cassava varieties implemented in Xuan Thien Group’s fields, are difficult to expand for household-scale production without support from agricultural extension and skilled human resources.

Ready to support Angola in mastering cassava breeding technology

Mr. Felício Fernando Miranda Canjungo, representing Angola’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, suggested that Viet Nam share experience in selecting and breeding disease-free cassava varieties, as well as provide guidance on controlling cassava diseases, from variety selection to production organization.

Discussing this in detail, Mr. Le Quoc Thanh emphasized: "Viet Nam can fully support Angola in gradually mastering cassava propagation technology. However, the most crucial factors are the necessary facilities to transfer propagation processes and a trained workforce to meet your agricultural development needs. When high-quality varieties are combined with standardized processes and competent technical staff, cassava production can achieve the expected results."

In addition to human resource development, the project will also focus on coordinating with capable enterprises and farms to supply high-quality seed packages suited to Angola’s ecological conditions, introduce them into pilot production, and scale them up. At the same time, production will be organized under a household-based model linked with cooperatives, enabling farmers to develop standardized production processes, particularly for priority crops such as rice, forestry species, and cassava.

Beyond these priority crops, during the course of cooperation, Viet Nam and Angola will also study the expansion to other crops such as maize and soybeans. Implementation will follow a phased roadmap, drawing on technical expertise from Viet Nam’s crop research institutes.

Representatives of Angola’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry expressed their appreciation for Viet Nam’s sharing and proposals. He noted that following the recent visit and working sessions with Viet Nam’s MAE, the cooperative relationship between the two countries has become even closer and more trusting. Both sides will strengthen exchange visits and field-based learning to identify solutions to ensure food security.