Who and where are Angolas rural poor people?
The central highlands was the region most affected by the war and is now most vulnerable to food insecurity. The provinces of Huambo, northern Huíla and parts of Bié were at the core of the conflict, and most of the combatants on both sides came from these areas. The central highlands region is subject to intense population pressure, with an estimated two thirds of the country’s population concentrated there, most of them living in extreme poverty. Environmental decline is accelerating. Impoverished soils, poor farming practices and competition for farmland combine to diminish productivity and aggravate food insecurity. Despite some progress made since the country’s independence, there are still major gender disparities in Angolan culture. Men are regarded as the sole decision-makers and women as subordinate to men. Only a third of women are literate, compared to 69 per cent of men. Women have gained some autonomy as a result of the civil war. During the war women were forced to engage
