CONSTRAINING RESOURCES PREVENTING THE OPTIMAL PROFITABILITY BY GOAT RAISERS IN CAMEROON

Cameroon is on the way to render its pastoral sector more productive by 2035 through the alleviation of the main problems faced by breeders. Because of the interest of most breeders to raise goat, this paper evaluates the constraints faced by goat raisers in the Centre region of Cameroon. From the field results, land and labour are available in sufficient quantity for goat raising activity. Their zero marginal productivity testify that these two resources are not exhausted/non-scarce in comparison to the five other constraining factors (credit, capital, transport to markets, health and food) which are exhausted/scarce hence displaying non-zero marginal productivities in linear programming model. In conclusion, if the government aims at improving the farmers’ returns, then resources with the highest marginal productivities should be allocated in priority to goat raisers i.e. credit at first, followed in order by capital, transport to markets, health, food, land and labour. Concrete governmental actions would be the creation of agricultural banks necessary to grant credit or capital facilities to breeders, veterinary hospitals and centers for training personnel to prevent illnesses and vaccination of goats, to develop road infrastructures and marketing channels for goat activity, to provide goat raisers with quality and sufficient food for their animals

Etude comparative de la rentabilité de deux types d'apiculture au Nord Ouest Cameroun

Comparative Study of the Profitability of Two Types of Bee Farming in the North West Cameroon. The present study examines the financial profitability of beekeeping in Cameroon. The global objective is to compare the profitability of two types of bee farms in the North West Region. The main hypothesis, however, is the following: there is a significant difference in output and in net benefit between traditional and semimodern bee farms. As regards the methodology used, a two stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select 100 bee farmers. Primary data was collected on elements of costs and revenue. The technique of cost benefit analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings showed that traditional beekeeping and semi-modern beekeeping (using Kenyan hives "KTBH") farms have an average production of 77.46 and 112.68 liters of honey per year respectively, for the respective average total revenue of 86 832.39 FCFA and 143 791 FCFA. The average annual value of their ratio Net Benefit/Total Cost is 1.168 and 1.193 respectively. The semi-modern bee hives perform better than the traditional one. Even with some difficulties faced by some farmers, bee farming in the North West Cameroon remains profitable. Despite the static character of this study, we suggest that beekeepers should adopt the semi-modern (Kenyan) hives

La pratique de la jachere en Afrique tropicale: ccomparee au Nigeria et au Cameroun

In sub-Saharan Africa, intensification of agriculture and rational use of arable land are essential for long-term growth (Gros, 1979, Johnston, 1990, Oluf et al., 990). Extensive cultivation methods and the population explosion are pushing the limits of cultivated land every day; deforestation accelerates; the productive capacity of the land is reduce

Logit Model of Analysing the Factors Affecting the Adoption of Goat Raising Activity by Farmers in the Non-pastoral Centre Region of Cameroon

Three years after the beginning of a goat project in the Centre region of Cameroon, the engagement of farmers in this activity has been timid. As this region is not a traditional pastoral zone, farmers have not yet incorporated the crop-livestock integration into their habits. Hence, this paper uses a logistic regression approach in order to analyse the factors affecting the adoption of goat raising activity by farmers of this locality. The computed odds ratio indicate that the practice of goat raising activity is significantly influenced by the farmer's age, gender, farming experience, practice of other livestock activities, frequency of contact with extension agents, access to credit and farm income. However, being a goat raiser does not depend on the farmer's marital status, education, farm size, household size, membership into a common initiative group. The study therefore recommends that the government authorities should give more attention to significant factors so as to popularize the goat raising activity in this region

Effets des innovations managériales sur la compétitivité agricole: cas des Organisations Paysannes (OP) de la filière maïs (Zea mays L.) financées par le Projet d'Amélioration de la Compétitivité Agricole (PACA) dans la région de l'ouest, Cameroun

Effects of managerial innovations on agricultural competitiveness: the case of Producer Organizations (POs) of the maize sector (Zea mays L.) funded by the Agricultural Competitiveness Improvement Project (ACAP) in the Western Region, Cameroon. This paper focuses on the effects of the Agricultural Competitiveness Improvement Project (ACAP) managerial innovations on the competitiveness of Producer Organizations (POs) of the Zea Mays value chain in the Western Region of Cameroon. Questionnaires were administered to 39 producer organizations and project documentation was consulted as well as research was carried out on the internet. We used descriptive statistics and significance tests for the data analysis. It appears from the analysis that the managerial innovations initiated by the ACAP relatively contributed to improving the competitiveness of producers. First, the forums gave the OPs easier access to some resources (chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers, equipment and tools) in respect of contract awarding standards and on credit. The input supply contracts also contributed to an about 50% increase in maize yields per hectare compared to baseline situation. Finally, sales contracts facilitated a fluid access of the producers to the downstream market and these benefited from increased prices by about 19% compared to baseline situation

Analyse économique de la structure des coûts de production apicole au Cameroun

Economic Analysis of the Bee Farming Costs Structure in Cameroon. Beekeeping is spreading in Cameroon, and contributes to the sustainable management of the non timber forest products. This study presents the structure of the bee farms production factors in the North-West of the aforesaid country. The assumption is that there would be a significant difference in the production costs components between the types of bee-farms in the North-West of Cameroon. The data collected in 2005 related to the operation of the exploitations, the cost factors and income. The analyses were made using Excel and SPSS software, and the principal results are the following. Bee farming returns to scale are decreasing in the North-West of Cameroon. The bee farms of this zone invest more in the capital factor. Their follow-up is very insufficient, whereas all can maximize profit. Although there is a significant difference of the total fixed costs of production between the traditional bee exploitations and the semi modern ones, there is no difference in variable costs, nor in total cost of production between them. The setting-up of an apiculture policy which insists on extension services close to the bee-farmers is essential for the rise of this sub sector

Etude comparative de la rentabilité de deux types d’apiculture au nord ouest Cameroun

La présente étude examine la rentabilité financière de l’apiculture au Cameroun. Son objectif global est de comparer la rentabilité des deux types d’apiculture pratiqués au Nord Ouest Cameroun. L’hypothèse globale est qu’il existerait une différence significative en rendement de miel et en bénéfice net entre les exploitations apicoles traditionnelles et celles améliorées. Un sondage à deux degrés de stratifications a été utilisé pour obtenir un échantillon de 100 exploitations apicoles. Les données primaires portaient sur les éléments de coût et de revenu. Le modèle d’analyse B/C a été utilisé. A la suite des analyses faites à l’aide des logiciels Excel et SPSS, Les principaux résultats suivants ont été obtenus: les exploitations apicoles traditionnelles (avec les ruches traditionnelles) et les celles semi modernes ou améliorées (avec les ruches kenyanes «KTBH») produisent respectivement 77,46 et 112,68 litres de miel par an en moyenne, pour des revenus totaux respectifs de 86 832,39 et 143 791 FCFA. La valeur annuelle moyenne respective de leur ratio de bénéfice net sur coût total est de 1,168 et 1,193. Malgré quelques difficultés, l’apiculture au Nord Ouest Cameroun est rentable. En dépit du caractère statique de l’étude, nous suggérons aux apiculteurs d’adopter les ruches améliorées

Politique des prix agricoles, exportation et production agricole au Cameroun : une analyse de la politique des prix selon une approche systémique

National audienceCe document présente une analyse systémique de l'impact des politiques des prix sur la production et l'exportation de produits agricoles au Cameroun. L'analyse se base sur une enquête réalisée dans les exploitations agricoles des quatre principales zones exportatrices de produits agricoles du Cameroun : le nord pour le coton, le sud-ouest pour le cacao, l'ouest pour le café arabica et le littoral pour le café robusta. Des exemples d'exploitations sont présentés pour montrer les changements survenus au niveau du marché du travail, de la production, des revenus et de la répartition des revenus en fonction du sexe et de la région, à l'échelle nationale à cause de la chute des prix à l'exportation, ainsi qu'à l'échelle de la famille agricole à cause de la politique des prix. La conclusion du document est que la politique des prix a un impact réel sur la production et l'exportation des produits. Il souligne l'importance des innovations visant à augmenter la productivité agricole et à abattre les obstacles institutionnels au financement de l'agriculture, à la fourniture d'intrants et à la prestation de services aux femmes. Les exemples permettent aussi d'estimer l'impact de la dévaluation du franc CFA sur l'agriculture, bien qu'aucune analyse n'ait été faite puisque la collecte des données a été terminée avant la dévaluation de janvier 1994

Etude comparative de la rentabilité de deux types d'apiculture au nord ouest du Cameroun

La présente étude examine la rentabilité financière de l’apiculture au Cameroun. Son objectif global est de comparer la rentabilité des deux types d’apiculture pratiqués au Nord Ouest Cameroun. L’hypothèse globale est qu’il existerait une différence significative en rendement de miel et en bénéfice net entre les exploitations apicoles traditionnelles et celles améliorées. Un sondage à deux degrés de stratifications a été utilisé pour obtenir un échantillon de 100 exploitations apicoles. Les données primaires portaient sur les éléments de coût et de revenu. Le modèle d’analyse B/C a été utilisé. A la suite des analyses faites à l’aide des logiciels Excel et SPSS, Les principaux résultats suivants ont été obtenus: les exploitations apicoles traditionnelles (avec les ruches traditionnelles) et les celles semi modernes ou améliorées (avec les ruches kenyanes «KTBH») produisent respectivement 77,46 et 112,68 litres de miel par an en moyenne, pour des revenus totaux respectifs de 86 832,39 et 143 791 FCFA. La valeur annuelle moyenne respective de leur ratio de bénéfice net sur coût total est de 1,168 et 1,193. Malgré quelques difficultés, l’apiculture au Nord Ouest Cameroun est rentable. En dépit du caractère statique de l’étude, nous suggérons aux apiculteurs d’adopter les ruches améliorées. Comparative Study of the Profitability of Two Types of Bee Farming in the North West Cameroon The present study examines the financial profitability of beekeeping in Cameroon. The global objective is to compare the profitability of two types of bee farms in the North West Region. The main hypothesis, however, is the following: there is a significant difference in output and in net benefit between traditional and semimodern bee farms. As regards the methodology used, a two stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select 100 bee farmers. Primary data was collected on elements of costs and revenue. The technique of cost benefit analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings showed that traditional beekeeping and semi-modern beekeeping (using Kenyan hives «KTBH») farms have an average production of 77.46 and 112.68 liters of honey per year respectively, for the respective average total revenue of 86 832.39 FCFA and 143 791 FCFA. The average annual value of their ratio Net Benefit/Total Cost is 1.168 and 1.193 respectively. The semi-modern bee hives perform better than the traditional one. Even with some difficulties faced by some farmers, bee farming in the North West Cameroon remains profitable. Despite the static character of this study, we suggest that beekeepers should adopt the semi-modern (Kenyan) hives