[{"bbox": [86, 152, 1135, 313], "category": "Text", "text": "The system often favours men with capital or resources, further marginalising women and youth from actively participating in market-driven value chains. Inadequate provision of business development services and trading infrastructure limits farmers' ability to access lucrative markets and improve their economic standing, thereby constraining the growth and competitiveness of the agricultural sector. Farmers and cooperatives often have a low understanding of financial services, tend to sell close to home due to the lack and/or cost of transportation options or storage facilities, and face post-harvest management challenges that contribute to losses."}, {"bbox": [86, 317, 865, 344], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## (V) LACK OF ACCESS TO SUSTAINABLE AND GREEN FINANCE FOR SMEs"}, {"bbox": [86, 350, 1135, 618], "category": "Text", "text": "For businesses, especially SMEs, limited access to sustainable finance is a significant concern. Improving products and processes to meet better compliance standards requires investment in areas such as water management, energy conservation, wastewater treatment, and reducing chemical use. While commercial banks can provide financing products, the availability of finance for firm-level action on green and circular business transformation is still quite limited. Solutions need to be developed to offer preferential terms for SMEs, such as concessional loans, collaterals, and grants, potentially in cooperation with Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) or other international donors. Microfinance institutions must also be supported to build the capacity for financing of small-scale farmers. In addition, the underutilisation of digital technologies to improve competitiveness and commercialisation and the lack of full exploitation of regional and continental integration are notable gaps. Catalysing private investment remains urgent for Angola's economic development, particularly beyond the oil and mining sector."}, {"bbox": [86, 621, 1135, 729], "category": "Text", "text": "Linking trade development with international, requirements for environmental standards, will require the government to be committed to modernising the agricultural sector. At the same time, it must improve climate resilience while still managing to increase agricultural production, efficiency and productivity in priority agriculture value chains, in line with its NDC to 'Sustainable Agriculture' and 'Sustainable Forest Management'."}, {"bbox": [86, 734, 993, 761], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## (VI) INADEQUATE PACE OF GREEN TRANSFORMATION AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION"}, {"bbox": [86, 766, 1135, 927], "category": "Text", "text": "The slow pace of transformation towards green, climate-smart, circular, and more sustainable food systems in Angola stems from several factors. These include difficulty accessing financing for sustainable practices due to perceived risks or lack of knowledge by financial institutions, difficulties in coordinating across different actors in the agri-food system, lack of transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain, and incoherent government support for sustainable agriculture. These challenges inhibit the sector's ability to adapt to environmental challenges and meet global sustainability standards in trade."}, {"bbox": [86, 932, 1135, 1146], "category": "Text", "text": "Climate change will have a significant impact on agriculture in Angola. Modelling under future climate conditions shows that the combination of reduced rainfall, increased temperature, and drought events is likely to cause insufficient soil moisture, crop loss, and reduction in agricultural production. It is also projected to affect forest cover, livestock populations, and the length of the growing season, as well as increase water stress. The situation is aggravated by the current rate of deforestation, which is compromising the country's climate change mitigation potential and important ecosystems. Angola has large areas of miombo forest remaining. These were preserved and even expanded slightly during the long civil war, but are now being converted on a large scale, mainly for subsistence agriculture but also larger-scale cropping and charcoal making."}, {"bbox": [86, 1151, 1135, 1470], "category": "Text", "text": "On the other hand, the transition to more sustainable systems that are better adapted to climate change is still very slow and must be supported by an effective aid system. There is a clear need for mobilising financial instruments that can at least partially remove the economic obstacles slowing down the adoption of long-term, sustainable solutions. These solutions can rapidly replace the short-term but unsustainable practices currently adopted by the majority of smallholder farmers and agribusinesses. Additionally, improving environmental compliance through sustainable practices will enhance conditions for trade and exports, facilitating better integration into international markets. This will not only boost the competitiveness of Angola's agricultural sector but also align it with global sustainability standards. By continuing strengthening the capacity of farmers on green skills and circular business models in agri-food systems, this action can equip them with the competencies required to implement innovative agricultural practices, thus fulfilling the objective of developing sustainable and productive agrifood systems and at the same time, increasing productivity without decreasing the health of ecosystems, biodiversity or climate change resilience."}, {"bbox": [86, 1475, 414, 1502], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## (VII) DECENT WORK DEFICITS"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1144, 1707], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 8 of 25"}]