Community Livelihood and Agricultural Techniques in Peri-Urban Farming in Cameroon

Agriculture is the bedrock of Cameroon’s economy as it contributes significantly to food, income and employment. However, the country’s agriculture is confronted by a myriad of challenges which include inter-alia issues of land tenure, inadequate finance, weak market information system and use of simple technology. The unprecedented growth in Cameroon’s urban population has given rise to peri-urban agriculture. Using survey data of 150 randomly sampled farmers, we assess the socio-economic contributions of peri-urban farming to livelihoods and the constraints faced by farmers in study area, at the periphery of Buea in the South West Region of Cameroon. The study identified some of the agricultural techniques being practiced to include slash and burn, shifting cultivation, crop rotation, farming without ridges, monoculture, and livestock farming. The commonest crops and livestock are tubers, grains, horticultural products, oil palm, poultry, goats and pigs. We found that peri-urban agriculture contributes significantly to household food security and nutrition, income, and employment of farmers. These findings have important policy implications for urban food security and nutrition, and sustainable development. Keywords: Cameroon, Peri-urban farming, Agricultural techniques, Community livelihood

Do farmers’ socioeconomic status determine the adoption of conservation agriculture? An empirical evidence from Eastern and Southern Regions of Cameroon

The African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Malabo Declaration recognize agricultural development as one of the most effective means of combating extreme poverty. Conservation Agriculture Practices (CAP) have been asserted to have the potential to boost agricultural output, improve livelihood and contribute to the conservation of natural resources. This study thus seeks to advance knowledge about Conversation Agriculture by assessing the factors determining the adoption and intensity of CAP among Cameroon’s smallholder farmers. Data collected from 351 farmers in the South and East regions of Cameroon were used to study the social, economic, ecological and biophysical factors that determine the adoption of CAP. The study considered agroforestry, intercropping, crop rotation, cover crop, mulching, and zero-tillage as the CAP under investigation. According to the multivariate probit analysis employed, the results showed that gender, age, family size, extension services, use of modern farm technology, distance from house to farm, livestock owned, and infertile soil all significantly influenced CAP adoption. Results on adoption intensity revealed that gender, distance from house to farm, and the number of livestock owned were critical drivers of CAP adoption intensity. Promoting the adoption of CAP, policymakers and concerned stakeholders should consider farmer, institutional, socio-economic, ecological, biophysical aspects as well as relational values. However, already existing extension services need to be improved upon

Gender dynamics and sustainable agriculture adoption for low emission food systems in Cameroon

Sustainable agrifood systems have the potential to significantly impact the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Cameroon. However, there is a gender disparity in the adoption of these technologies due to various sociocultural norms and gender dynamics. In 2020, 351 southern and eastern Cameroonian farming households were surveyed. Gender roles, decision-making, and sustainable agrifood systems were studied using a multistage random sample. The principal component analysis identified thirteen sustainable agrifood systems used by farmers and grouped them into practices with mitigation potentials, adaptation potentials, and soil conservation. Descriptive statistics examined gender differences in farm and household decision-making. A multinomial logit regression model (MNL) was used to examine how gender-based household decision-making affects farmer enrollment in sustainable agrifood systems. MNL marginal effects coefficients were used to interpret the effects of independent variables on the sustainable agrifood systems enrollment, controlling for other factors and allowing comparisons across variables. The results of the study reveal that women play a significant role in the technical aspects of farming (64.4%) and take most decisions regarding onfarm activities (70%). However, decisions regarding farm earnings (81.4%) and farm technology (84%) are made by men. Household decision-making, particularly by women, significantly (P≤0.001) influences the adoption of different sustainable agrifood system packages. The use of practices with mitigation potential and soil conservation practices increased for households with decisions made by females, while the use of practices with adaptation potential decreased. The study emphasises the importance of extension services in encouraging farmers to use larger (more than 3 practices) sustainable agrifood system packages. Education and land ownership also positively (P≤0.05) influenced sustainable agrifood systems, particularly those with mitigation potential. Women have little decision-making power in agricultural production, according to decision-making results. Thus, gender-equitable agrifood systems adoption policies and programmes are needed to empower women. Such efforts can increase agricultural productivity, economic empowerment of women, gender equity, and social justice

A new index on agricultural land greenhouse gas emissions in Africa

Africa emits the lowest amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the global GHG budget. However, the continent remains the most vulnerable continent to the effects of climate change. The agricultural sector in Africa is among the most vulnerable sectors to climate change. Also, as a dominant agricultural sector, African agriculture is increasingly contributing to climate change through GHG emissions. Research has so far focused on the effects of GHG emissions on the agricultural and other sectors with very little emphasis on monitoring and quantifying the spatial distribution of GHG emissions from agricultural land in Africa. This study develops a new index: African Agricultural Land Greenhouse Gas Index (AALGGI) that uses scores and specific scale ranges for carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) to map the spatial variations in regional GHG emissions across Africa. The data for the three main GHGs (CO2, CH4, and N20) were downloaded from FAOSTAT. The data were analyzed through the newly developed African Agricultural Land Greenhouse Gas Index (AALGGI). This is an empirical index with scores ranging from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating higher levels of emissions. The results show that Southern and North African regions have the lowest amounts of agricultural land GHG emissions, with AALGGIs of 3.5 and 4.5, respectively. East Africa records the highest levels of GHG emissions, with an AALGGI of 8 followed by West Africa with an AALGGI of 7.5. With the continental mean or baseline AALGGI being 5.8, East and Middle Africa are above the mean AALGGI. These results underscore the fact that though Africa, in general, is not a heavy emitter of GHGs, African agricultural lands are increasingly emitting more GHGs into the global GHG budget. The low AALGGIs in the more developed parts of Africa such as Southern and North Africa are explained by their domination in other GHG emitting sectors such as industrialization and energy. The high rates of emissions in East Africa and Middle Africa are mainly linked to intensive traditional farming practices/processes and deforestation. These findings underscore the need to further leverage climate change mitigation actions and policy in Africa and most importantly the co-benefits of mitigation and adaptations in the most vulnerable regions