Food security is still a major concern in Cameroon. The South West Region is blessed with very rich soil suitable for the cultivation and production of both food and cash crop without the use of chemical manure. 75% of food crops consumption in the largest town in Cameroon, Douala comes from the region. Banana, cassava, cocoyam, plantain, yam, potato and beans and a variety of vegetables for food crop while palms, rubber, cocoa, coffee and tea for cash crop.
The South West Region host the Agro Industrial Company called the (CDC) Cameroon Development Corporation which is the second employer after the state. Unfortunate, there is very poor road network. In some rural areas there is total absence of farm-to-market roads, making marketing of agricultural products very difficult to market. Here, women suffer most to carry food to sell in long distant markets, sometimes at very low cost to avoid food being perish.
What we do to ensure food security
We promote agriculturalgroups with technical and financial assistance to increase harvest
We build capacity of Women and Youth groups in modern agricultural techniques on modern farming to become self reliant and sustainable.
We also build network of farmer association to cooperate and share experiences towards improving productivity.
We do market search to facilitate the commercialization of agricultural products
We provide/train on food transformation and conservationmethods to farmer groups
Food Security Challenges
Someof the chalenges to our effort in ensuring food security
Lack of farm to market roads
Poor farming practices
Mismanagement of road construction funds and poor execution of road projects
Nzimbeng Women carrying baskets of plantains to the distant market in Muambong
• Villagers dragging a log of wood to cross over a stream
Plantain Market in Ngomin – Tent’Asome
carrying baskets of produce to the distant market in Muambong
BUSH PEPPER CULTIVATION IN BAKOSSILAND
Bush pepper farming is on the lips of every peasant farmer in Kupe Muanenguba Division. The drastic drop of coffee prices and the poor rural road network that hinders the evacuation of food crop to distant markets has brought extreme poverty.
For the past two years, AFRINET partnered with Bakossi National Park on the cultivation and monitoring of bush pepper farms in 20 frontline villages of the Bakossi National Park.
The cultivation of bush pepper is gaining grounds in Bakossiland, giving hopes to an improve economy in the near future. Early birds in this activity already make good harvest and enjoy better income.