Land Resources
In 2008, Cape Verde released its Second National Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. There is no urban development plan, but there is a Second National Environmental Action Plan 2004-2014 (PANA II) which takes into account both rural and urban development.
The archipelago of Cape Verde is made up of ten islands and nine islets, and is located off the west coast of Africa. Although all of Cape Verde’s islands are volcanic in origin, they vary widely in terrain, with only one active volcano on the island of Fogo. Because Cape Verde is a group of islands, temperatures are generally moderate with irregular rainfall between August and October each year and frequent-but-heavy downpours. Due to the intermittent nature of rainfall, Cape Verde's climate is semi-desert. Only 10% of the land is potentially arable; of this, 95% is utilized for rain-fed agriculture, while the remaining 5% is used for irrigated agriculture. Arable lands are, to a large extent, located in the semiarid and arid zones. The soils are generally rich in mineral elements but poor in organic matter and nitrogen. This situation is the result of a combination of factors, such as erosion, poor plant cover and the use of crop residues as fodder and fuel. Soils are, to a great extent, shallow, poorly developed and with low water retention capacity. However, fertile alluvium and colluvium soils are found in valleys, constituting the main areas for irrigated agriculture. The accelerating advance of sea waters quickly reduces the margin of interface between the sea and the land, increasing soil salinity and reducing its productive capacity, which again has significant negative effects on agricultural activities conducted in coastal zones. Food insecurity is a chronic and recurring problem in Cape Verde that especially affects the poor population. Cape Verde is faced with a structural food deficit resulting from insufficient arable land and insufficient rainfall. As a result, cereal production covers no more than 10% to 15% of demand. To overcome this, Cape Verde must rely on food aid. Environmental degradation is also the result of poor crop choices made by Cape Verdean farmers, such as growing corn on slopes and other practices that accelerate soil erosion. Most agriculture in Cape Verde is family-based and characterized by micro-farms averaging 1 to 1.5 hectares in area. Some of these farms are further split into smaller areas, a reflection of Cape Verde’s inheritance system, but the reduced area available to each farmer is not enough to guarantee the subsistence of rural families. Without an urban development plan, the concentration of immigrants around urban areas leads to disorganized construction and accumulation of solid waste and residual water, with a negative impact on public health.
