Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer and Professor Gives Production Expertise in Angola

Angola is rebuilding itself after the end of a 27-year civil war in 2002. More than one million people died and another four million were displaced as a result of the conflict. One of the most affected sectors of the Angolan economy during the war was agriculture. From a net exporter of agriculture products, Angola was transformed into a country surviving on food imports and donations. Commercial farming has largely reverted to subsistence agriculture, and most of the country’s fertile land has been left uncultivated, in part because at least three generations of farming knowledge were lost during the war.

CNFA’s Farmer-to-Farmer team recruited Ms. Matilde D’Urzo of West Lafayette, IN, to travel to Angola and assist with horticultural production techniques in the Huambo Province. D’Urzo, who holds a degree in Agricultural Sciences and an Italian Lyceum Degree in Classic and Humanity Studies from the University of Naples, is currently a professor at Purdue University at the Center for Plant Stress Physiology.

As CNFA’s first female volunteer to work in Angola, D’Urzo spent countless hours visiting open air markets and supermarkets, visiting agrodealers and speaking to officials and institutions about horticulture in the Huambo and Bie Provinces to get a better understanding of the Angolan system and horticulture market. Based on her findings, she identified the areas of limitation that needed to be addressed in order to improve production techniques to get the domestic supply back to the point of pre-civil war times. D’Urzo was focused on giving technical advice to a local farmer in the Huambo Province, focusing on many aspects of production such as: soil nutrients, drip irrigation and advantages of using green houses. D’Urzo was able to give suggestions to the local farmers as well as to CNFA for future volunteers on how to address the issues that she encountered.

D’Urzo is motivated by these volunteer opportunities because, “it has to do with what I do for a job, but on the other hand, it’s really different because it is practical. It’s hands-on—every time a different aspect, a different problem.” She added, “I have always been interested in development and agriculture in general. This is a great way for me also to open my eyes and let me see what is going on in other places.”

CNFA has been working in Angola through the USAID-funded John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program since 2008 and will send a total of 132 volunteers to Angola between FY09-13.