Cameroon's National Development Strategy 2020-2030 aims to boost agricultural production, focusing on increasing yields, particularly on family farms. The country faces challenges from prolonged drought and rising temperatures.
Synecoculture, an environmentally-friendly farming technique from Japan, minimizes chemical inputs and promotes biodiversity while enhancing food production and environmental resilience. In response to climate challenges, Cameroon's updated Nationally Determined Contribution prioritizes promoting climate-smart agriculture.
Laying the foundation, Terre des jeunes Cameroun (TDJC) successfully implemented a synecoculture project in 2020 after being introduced to the concept at the 5th Syneoculture Forum in Burkina Faso. The project featured 10 crop species and 30 varieties, cultivated sustainably on a 1000 m2 plot to ensure year-round harvests.
CTCN support
CTCN is supporting a project to pilot synecoculture in Cameroon's northern region, specifically in the communes of Garoua 2 and Figuil (Mayo-Louti). This initiative aims to enhance food security, improve nutritional profiles, soil quality, profitability, climate adaptation, and field biodiversity.
Knowledge exchange is pivotal, focusing on sharing insights with stakeholders in similar environments across Cameroon facing analogous challenges. The project also includes inviting two environmental experts from other African countries to participate in three-week visits to Cameroon, fostering collaborative learning and regional cooperation.
Expected outcome
This technical assistance aims to enhance agricultural productivity by introducing synecoculture techniques tailored for subsistence farmers in the context of a hotter, drier climate. The technical assistance objectives are:
- Capacity building for 500 individuals, primarily youth with 70% women, in synecoculture techniques to build resilience to climate change in Garoua 2 and Figuil (Mayo-Louti).
- Addressing identified community needs.
- Documenting quantitative data on the benefits of synecoculture compared to conventional farming, including irrigation efficiency, agricultural yields, soil health, and biodiversity, with the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation system.