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.
Someof the chalenges to our effort in ensuring food security
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.
