Description of the area under study
Population: Twenty individuals were interviewed in rural communities in Virei, Bibala and Camucuio (Namibe province) out of which 20 percent are women and 80 percent men. Educational levels in the population are low; only about 11 percent of the respondents has received formal education. The diet of population of the surveyed communities relies heavily on meat (80 percent), eggs (60 percent) cereals (50 percent), tubers, milk and cereals (40 percent); while the consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish and oil is rather small (around 25 to 30 percent), suggesting a low-varied diet, and being the cause of a low Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS).
Economy and production: Ten agropastoralists (50 percent), six farmers (30 percent), and four pastoralists (20 percent) were interviewed in Namibe. Livestock, crop production and poultry are the major agricultural activities practiced within the group surveyed. For own consumption (subsistence farming) is the main purpose of production of 75 percent of farmers, pastoralists and agropastoralists and only about 25 percent of producers have market-oriented purposes.
Environment: 90 percent of the population has access to water and about 57 percent to land. Nonetheless, the use of sustainable management practices for land and water is not widespread among the population.
Climatic conditions: The most observed disturbances in the area are a decrease in rainfall and late rainfall onset (70 percent) together with an increase in the temperature (80 percent). This condition might raise the likelihood of experiencing severe droughts and water scarcity, affecting the community's livelihoods and farming systems.
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