A hydro-agricultural project was inaugurated on August20 in the municipality of São Domingos, on the island of Santiago, by the prime minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva, who guaranteed that it will be replicated in other parts of the country.
The Santiago Sul Hydro-Agricultural Project, installed in the locality of Moia-Moia, was funded by 21.5 million escudos (200 thousand euros) by the Cape Verdean State, to mobilize water and improve irrigation infrastructures, reducing losses and increasing yield efficiency. It involves the expansion of the water supply and distribution network and the installation of localized irrigation systems, as well as the construction of a brackish water desalination plant powered by solar energy without a battery, in a solution presented as "global level innovation" .
This is an attempt by the local Govt. in order to demonstrate that this solution can help to overcome the constraints created by the irregularities of rain in Cape Verde and thus allow the practice of more intensive, diversified and safe agriculture in the different islands of the archipelago, explained the Government, in a note on the project . That shall benefit 21 local farmers, in addition to creating eight new parcels of agricultural land to be allocated to new beneficiaries.
"It is a great pilot project that we intend to replicate in other parts of the country", highlighted, however, the Prime Minister, stressing from the outset the "fight against poverty" aspect, through agricultural production and conditions for that purpose, for "are not systematically assisted".
The project shall allow a better familiar income, increase productivity and to source a constant water supply for field crops and human consumption.
Govt. also compromised to invest 35 million euros in the near future, towards the water sourcing strategy, so the country can have less dependence on rain.
The rain fell again in the last month with some intensity on the island of Santiago and elsewhere in Cape Verde, after three irregular and insufficient years to prevent extreme drought in the archipelago.
In January, the Cape Verdean Government declared the water emergency situation in the entire country until October, due to the accumulated drought in the last three years, admitting in this period temporary limitations on water consumption.
Since 2017, the rains falling on the archipelago have been insufficient to prevent an extreme and prolonged drought and consequent bad agricultural years, which have led the country to ask for international aid.