AGIN 5990-26473: Dr.
Adams Cobb
Agricultural Development Plans and Policies
Case Study: Central Africa (Cameroon)
By
Danielle Daihawe Danielle
SUMMARY
Cameroon is a naturally rich country with many resources, yet the nation is still under-developed
in the agricultural sector. Most Cameroonians utilize subsistence farming making it challenging
to expand the farm industry, due to this practice providing little to no surplus of agriculture to
sell for a profit. Having rich soils, favorable climate conditions, and the potential to produce a
variety of crops the government aims to create awareness among Cameroonians, entrepreneurs,
and youth to realize a future in the agricultural sector. Recently, the government opened schools
specializing in agriculture to train youth in agricultural practices. Although it is a big step in
agrarian development, Cameroonians need to move from being subsistence farmers to industrial
farmers to take advantage of the county’s resources. Currently, there is only one university
offering agricultural programs, and they do not have enough faculty. The education system
should integrate agriculture into school programs and provide adequate resources for training.
Also, the government should encourage investment in the agricultural sector that might attract
entrepreneurs to the industry. Developing an agrarian plan in Cameroon will fight against
unemployment (which is currently high), increase trade, build infrastructure, boost the economy
and reduce poverty and hunger.
Nevertheless, political, social and technical issues need to be addressed while implementing this
plan. Moving to more productive agriculture will require developing massive amounts of land for
farming and construction of food processing centers. The development of vast land might affect
communities in or around the lands utilized for sustainable agriculture. Pollution or excessive
noise may force community members to move to other areas. Corruption among the political
class stagnates the growth of the sector due to the diversion of funds for agricultural research,
climate change and agricultural development. Furthermore, investment in agriculture needs a
significant amount of financial and human resources. Agricultural development will encourage
local consumption of goods, mechanization of natural resources, and bring innovation to food
conservation methods currently utilized in Cameroon.
BACKGROUND
Located in Central Africa at the bottom of the Gulf of Guinea, Cameroon covers an area of 475
650 km2 with a maritime opening of about 402 km on the Atlantic coast. The climate is tropical
and dry in the north and equatorial and humid in the South (FAO, 2012). Agriculture remains the
foundation of the Cameroonian economy with more than 70% of the population involved in food
production. The vast majority of Cameroonian farmers are subsistence, holding small plots and
obtaining low yields using traditional methods (New Agriculturalist, 2001). Most rural farmers
use old drying and storage methods and local seeds harvested from last planting seasons to plan
for future planting. It is estimated that in Cameroon, rural women supply about 90% of the food
needed for subsistence (Prakash, 2006). Women bear the entire responsibility for food
production and also help men with land preparation, harvesting, and other work in cash crops.
The rural sector plays a vital role in the country's economy and is the driving force behind it. It
accounts for about one-quarter of GDP and generates half of the non-oil export revenues. In all
rural areas of the country, about 10% of households, or one million people, experience food
insecurity (citation). Throughout different times of the year, people do not have physical and
economic access to sufficient, healthy and nutritious food to meet their energy needs and dietary
preferences. They suffer from undernourishment and malnutrition. According to "The
Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis in Cameroon (CFSVA 2017) ", A
survey conducted by the World Food Program (WFP) in 2017, about 4 million Cameroonians, or
20% of the population, are undernourished. In 2010 chronic malnutrition reached 40.3% of
children in the North and 41.4% in the Far North. Underweight rates were 21.5% and 24.4%
respectively in the North and Far North. The prevalence of acute malnutrition in children under 5
is 6%, 2% of which is severe, with, once again, pronounced regional disparities. The two regions
of the North and Extreme North, where nearly 5.5 million people live, have acute malnutrition
rates of 14.5%, close to the emergency threshold (15%).
The north of Cameroon is exposed to environmental degradation; droughts and postharvest loss
from scavengers make the area increasingly dependent on international aid like the FAO. Rice,
one of Cameroon's leading food imports, is grown in the north by both traditional and modern
methods. Other food crops include millet, sorghum, and maize. Staple foods vary across the
country according to the ethnic group, but millet and corn are among the most widespread.
Cotton is the most important cash crop in the north; farmers receive incentives and training to
boost production. Cotton is the only agricultural industry still being run as a public monopoly
since there are no farmers engage in cotton farming. Cattle rearing is also essential in the region,
particularly for the migrant cattle herders, the Fulani (New Agriculturist, 2018).
APPROACH
• Introduce agricultural education (subsistence to intensive farming)
Farmers must be trained differently to improve farming skills and gain the highest potential
yield. Rural subsistence farmers can benefit from a program such as the One Acre Fund, that
delivers training and access to resources and markets (Thurow, 2012). Large-scale farmers need
different training and advice on access to technology, markets, improved farm management, and
credit facilities. Considering the expense of tractors, irrigation systems, and other equipment and
their lack of financial resources, large-scale farmers should form cooperative groups to purchase
machines and equipment so farmers can benefit. Also, the government needs to create a network
of knowledge among farmers from other countries and experts to help share solutions and
innovations. This work is underway, as the Cameroon Institute of Agricultural Research and
Development in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the Ministry of
Agriculture provides equipment for local farmers at various production scales. There is no
national board for farmers in Cameroon to conduct this proposition except for local and small
groups of farmers located in rural areas which pose a critical for the implementation of this
proposition.
• Develop models for school gardening
The importance of agricultural education in bridging the knowledge gap cannot be
overemphasized. Agelong traditional practices can be a hindrance to long-term sustainable
development the sector needs to feed all and grow the economy. Garden activities tend to
improve child attitudes to the natural environment primarily with organic approaches that
generate a practical understanding of the environment and its ecosystems. This approach could
be successful if the government with other national organizations committed to encouraging
gardening activities by taking the lead in making funds available, developing a national
curriculum and promoting teacher development. In Uganda, agriculture is part of the primary
school curriculum, and there is extensive vegetable gardening in schools, some supported by the
NGO Seeds for Africa (FAO, 2010).
• Develop Infrastructure
Capital remains the most challenging obstacle for Cameroonian farmers lack access to credit
from banks or are given stringent conditions by the financial institutions. At the local level,
farmers should create a trust fund that will support each of them to purchase equipment needed
for the cultivation of cash crops. Also, the fund can decide to construct a better storage system to
eliminate post-harvest losses and allow farmers to earn more income through the processing of
their produce. The trust fund is likely to work with local people regarding the cultural and socio-
economic lifestyles that drive them to have trust in each other. One Acre Fund started from the
same principle without any contracts except for farmers’ commitment to repay their credits after
selling their yields (Thurow, 2012). As for large-scale farmers, the idea is to pool financial
resources to buy heavy equipment like tractors and other machinery to reduce the burden of the
cost on one farmer’s efficiency even though the risk of sharing and trust is high in this approach.
• Empowerment of women and education
Women bare the entire responsibility for food production and also help men with land
preparation, harvesting, and other work in cash crops. While men are primarily responsible for
fishing and livestock, women are in charge of fish processing and marketing, raising poultry and
small livestock, and share in the processing of milk products, both for home consumption and for
sale. In general, rural women work 1.5 to 3 times longer than men (FAO, 2000). Since women
are more involved in food handling than men in Cameroon, there is the need for female capacity
building, adequate training, and active participation in the agricultural value chain, as well as
education for young girls that leads to empowerment and effective decision-making in the food
production value-chain.
IMPACT
• Increase farmer’s yield
Rural farmers are mostly subject to reduced yields due to adequate farming skills, low yielding
seeds, and proper postharvest infrastructure. The approaches above will undoubtedly move
farmers to high productivity is provided with improved seeds, improved farming methods, and
conservation. It mainly affects local farmers since the government does not offer enough needs
to support them and only receiving aids from NGO’s such as Green Care Cameroon that aim to
sensitize farmers regarding soil fertility and natural resource management (Green Care, 2016).
The proposal will be useful if the government decides to build research centers and infrastructure
for improved seeds given to farmers at lower costs rather than buying imported hybrid seeds.
• Reduce poverty and hunger
The North and Extreme parts of Cameroon are mostly exposed to a harsh dry season,
environmental degradation and severe poverty and hunger. Training local farmers in these areas
with programs such as the One Acre Fund in Kenya will be implemented efficiently regarding
the climatic, cultural and socio-economic lifestyles they have in common. According to
Dailymail (2015), the region has been suffering from jihadist attacks slowing down the economy
and preventing the population from doing a trade for the past four years. Also, there is a rise in
the number of refugees in this area fleeing from Nigeria to seek for food. Meanwhile, other
regions of Cameroon have already implemented a gardening curriculum in 6 primary schools to
show children the importance of food and to protect the environment (CAMAAY, 2015)
• Economic growth
The Cameroonian government is at the center of all criticisms from academia, private sectors,
and civil society for the failure in agricultural development policies and plans nationwide.
Government officials request a lot of bribes from investors and farmers to agree on development
plans. Considering that agriculture accounts for a quarter of the GDP and generates half of the
non-oil revenues, the government incentives to invest more in this sector will boost the economy,
attract investors, increase employment, decrease poverty and hunger and increase trade.
IMPLICATIONS
In the past years, sub-Saharan African countries have seen a decline in cash export crops and an
increase in the region’s dependence on imported food crops (WEF, 2015). In Central Africa,
about 80% of the cultivated land is done manually. Agriculture is gradually evolving into a trade
and way of life for many many countries all over the world in supporting the economy and
improving the lives of farming communities. Meanwhile, in most of sub-Saharan Africa, where
agriculture systems were more complicated across variable agro-ecological zones, quality seed
and fertilizer were not backed by irrigation support or mechanization inputs. It can potentially
burden small farmers with machines they cannot afford or maintain and machines that drop jobs
and disempower wage earners. It can also harm the ecosystem by developing pressure on natural
resources, soil erosion, and pollution, prompting overuse of chemical inputs and encouraging
farmers to farmlands that currently serve as valuable forest and rangelands. So any step towards
mechanization will have to be done strategically, considering ways to ensure that it brings
positive results.
Nevertheless, it is explicit that sub-Saharan Africa can no longer rely on the manual workforce to
feed its growing population. It is essential for decision-makers and the farming community to
take a new look at the opportunities available for mechanizing agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa
(WEF, 2015).
SOURCES
Thurow R (2013). The last hunger season: A year in an African farm community on the brink of
change. PublicAffairs: New York, NY
Prakash D (2003). Rural Women, Food Security and Agricultural Cooperatives; Rural
Development and Management Centre. ‘The Saryu’, J-102 Kalkaji, New Delhi 110019,
India
Peace Corps (2017). Integrated Agriculture On-Farming Training Center. (Accessed on Sept. 27,
2017). [Link]
food-insecurity/
New Agriculturist (2001). Country Profile-Cameroon. (Accessed on July 2001).
[Link]
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (2012). Cadre de programmation pays Cameroon
2013-2017. [Link]
Food and Agricultural Organization (2010). A New Deal for School Gardens.
[Link]
Green Care (2016). Empowering Grassroots Communities. [Link]
Dailymail (2015). Cameroon's far north faces twin nightmares of Boko Haram, poverty.
(Accessed on November 2015).
[Link]
[Link]
Cameroon Association of Active Youth (2015). Gardening Project. (Accessed on April 2015).
[Link]
World Economic Forum (2015). What is the future of agriculture in Africa? (Accessed on
November 2015). [Link]
agriculture-in-africa/
World Food Programme (2017). Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis in
Cameroon. (Accessed on April 2018). [Link]
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