Agricultural Greenhouses in São Tomé and Príncipe: A Way to Mitigate Climate Change, Promote Food Security, and Reduce Farmer Poverty

Introduction

São Tomé e Príncipe economy is predominantly supported by agriculture and services (Arteta and Kirby, 2019) and agriculture aggregates 33% of the population, it is only responsible for 5% of GDP (gross domestic product) (BM, 2018). Cocoa is the main agricultural production and main source of income for rural families, generating 70% of rural employment and 80% of export earnings (UNDP, 2016). Agriculture has a very low level of productivity, mainly due to traditional agricultural practices, lack of infrastructure (irrigation systems, markets and rural roads), insufficient technical support and resources, low quality products, and lack of organization and strategy in the the sector (Espírito Santo, 2008). Additionally, there is a lack of supportive agricultural research and investments to ensure food security (UNDP, 2016).

As a result, domestic production has been decreasing, increasing the economic and social constraints of rural populations, as well as farmers’ abandonment of agricultural activity and the replacement of sustainable agricultural practices by others more harmful to natural resources and the environment. If added the effects of climate change is added the situation of agriculture in the country problematic (UNDP, 2016).

The latest estimates point to about a third of the population living on less than US$1.9 a day, and more than two thirds being poor and on the poverty line of 3.2 US dollars per day (World Bank, 2019). Urban areas and southern districts in STP such as Caué and Lembá are the ones with the highest levels of poverty incidence. Thus, although GDP growth has been relatively stable since 2009 (it has grown at an average rate of 4.0% between 2009 and 2016 and has decelerated moderately since 2014), the increase in government expenditure growth has not contributed to poverty alleviation (Gomes et al., 2018). Still, STP is above average in the UNDP Human Development Index indicator compared to the average for sub-Saharan African countries and has been making significant progress in improving other social indicators. For example, the gross enrolment rate in primary education is 110%; life expectancy is 66 years; the mortality rate for children under five is 51 per 1000 live births, access to an improved water source is 97% for the population and access to electricity is 60% (World Bank, 2019).

Similarly, to other small island states, STP also faces constraints related to the high cost of imports, territorial limitations that make economies of scale unfeasible, the non-diversification of the economy and the high public expenditure on the provision of services to the population, all this affect the country's ability to deal with external shocks and achieve a balanced budget (Gomes et al., 2018).

Alongside agriculture and services, tourism tends to be an important economic activity as STP has a natural potential, although there is still much to do in this particular area (World Bank, 2019). The commercial exploitation of oil, a resource considered promising for the country's economy, has been delayed for almost a decade, making the country heavily dependent on imports, including oil for energy generation and food production.

Although the country's resources and edaphoclimatic conditions are adequate for agricultural practice and rainfall is, on average, abundant, constraints on productivity have been increased by the increasingly frequent occurrence of drought episodes. This situation has contributed to the increased vulnerability of agricultural communities, particularly in the districts of Caué, Me-Zochi, Príncipe, Lembá, Cantagalo and Lobata.