During the current January-April 2022 monitoring period, maize and rice were at the growing and harvesting stages in Angola. In April, land preparation for wheat planting had started. The proportion of irrigated cropland in Angola is only 2% and agro-meteorological conditions play a decisive role in the growth of crops.

The agroclimatic indicators for this period reveal that the country received less rainfall when compared to the average of the past fifteen years (RAIN -14%). Also, the temperature was slightly below the average (TEM -0.1ºC). The photosynthetic active radiation was 1198 MJ/m2, 2% higher than that of the 15YA. The national potential biomass production decreased by 2%. In general, the nationwide NDVI profile trended below average until early April and recovered to average levels by the end of this reporting period. The NDVI spatial patterns show that 53% of the cultivated area was near the average for the past five years. For the whole country, the VCIx value was 0.88 and the CALF was near average. Conditions were average, except for the arid zone in the south, which was affected by the precipitation deficit.

Regional Analysis

Considering the cropping systems, climate zones and topographic conditions, CropWatch has divided Angola into five agroecological zones (AEZs): the Arid zone (5), Central Plateau (6), Humid zone (7), Semi-arid zone (8) and Sub-humid zone (9).

Depending mostly on precipitation, agriculture in the agroecological regions was affected by the significant decreases recorded in precipitation over all the regions. This indicator decreased by 19% in the Arid zone, 12% in the Central Plateau, 13% in the Humid zone and Sub-humid zone and 16% in the Semi-arid zone. Temperature decreased by 0.2ºC, 0.3ºC and 0.6ºC in the Sub-humid zone, Central Plateau and Arid zone, respectively. Meanwhile, in the Humid and Semi-arid zone, the temperature was near the average of the past fifteen years. In the Humid Zone, rainfall decreased by 13%, whereas RADPAR increased by 8%. Increases in radiation were also observed in Central Plateau (+3%) and the Sub-humid zone (+4%). The regional total biomass production decreased by 1% in the Arid zone, Humid zone and Sub-humid zone, while in the Semi-arid zone it decreased by 2% and in the Central plateau, it increased by 2%.

The regional crop conditions development graph based on NDVI reveals that except for the Central plateau, crop conditions were below the average of the past five years from early January to early April (when conditions improved) in all remaining regions.  Only the Central plateau experienced near-average crop conditions throughout the monitoring period.

Regarding the agronomic indicators, CALF was near the average for the past five years in the Humid zone, Semi-arid zone and Sub-humid zone. In the Arid zone, the CALF decreased by 1% while in the Central plateau, it increased by 1%. The maximum VCIx in the agroecological regions varied from 0.79 (in the Arid zone) to 0.92 (in the Humid zone).

Figure 3.6. Angola's crop condition, January – April 2022

(a) Phenology of major crops

(b) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI                   (c) Maximum VCI

(d) Spatial NDVI patterns compared to 5YA,                                          (e) NDVI profiles

(f) National time-series rainfall profiles                                 (g) National time-series temperature profiles

(h) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI - Arid zone (left) and Central Plateau (right)

(i) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI - Humid zone (left) and Semi-arid zone (right)

(k) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI-Subhumid zone

Table 3.3. Angola’s agroclimatic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values and departure from 15YA, January – April 2022

Table 3.4. Angola’s agronomic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values and departure from 5YA, January  – April 2022