Housing shortage for seasonal farm workers and rural tourism staff in Santo Antão

Two sectors, one shared shortfall

The Paúl valley and the northern hiking trails share the same lack of affordable housing for seasonal workers.

Makeshift accommodation next to the fields

Agricultural employers are fitting out rooms on their farms for labourers who have had to relocate.

Prices that push out anyone who isn't a homeowner

A simple room costs between 10,000 and 15,000 CVE a month.

Calls for regulated seasonal housing

Calls are growing for regulated temporary housing schemes for the agricultural and tourism sectors.

Paúl, a valley that can't keep up

The Paúl valley accounts for much of Santo Antão's agricultural output, with sugar cane, coffee and vegetable crops that require seasonal labour at specific times of the year. Farm owners acknowledge that the lack of nearby housing forces many labourers to travel in from other parts of the island, which makes hiring more expensive and more complicated. Some farmers have opted to build small annexes on their own plots to temporarily house workers who come from elsewhere.

Hiking tourism adds pressure to the same housing stock

The hiking trails in the north of the island, including those running through Ribeira Grande and Paúl itself, attract growing numbers of foreign visitors each year, creating demand for staff at guesthouses, restaurants and as local guides. These workers compete for the same limited housing stock already used by seasonal farm labourers, worsening the shortage during the busiest months for tourism. Businesses in the sector admit they struggle to retain skilled staff when they cannot offer stable accommodation.

Schemes being studied for both sectors

Representatives of agricultural and tourism associations in Santo Antão have begun jointly raising the need for regulated temporary housing schemes, which could include seasonal leases with guarantees for both parties. Seasonal-worker housing models used in other agricultural countries are cited as a reference point, adapted to the island's scale and resources. Any solution, those consulted agree, will require the involvement of both the municipality and the sector's own businesses.

A problem that repeats every year

Although the shortage of housing for seasonal workers has been a known problem in Santo Antão for years, the solutions applied so far have been piecemeal and insufficient. Workers themselves say the situation repeats season after season without being tackled structurally. Meanwhile, farmers and tourism business owners keep improvising accommodation that does not always meet adequate living conditions.