Regenerative Agriculture in Cameroon

Centre for Livelihoods and Support to Sustainable Development

Earth Rising is happy to be supporting Centre for Livelihoods and Support to Sustainable Development (CLISSD) in an exciting project to build a teaching center along with two demonstration farms showcasing regenerative agriculture techniques in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. 

The whole local community has been working together to build the training center. Two demonstration farms have also been set up, where 58 smallholder farmers have learned new techniques, such as how to make natural fertilizer and pesticides, and created raised bed vegetable gardens with multiple kinds of plants and no tilling. In addition, they have built plantain sucker propagators; plantains are a stable and staple cash crop that is used for many purposes. Being able to propagate their own plants will increase both financial and food security. More than a dozen farmers have already started their own regenerative nurseries. 

As an added benefit, the project has provided a safe and therapeutic environment for 28 children who were orphaned during the civil war in Cameroon. The children have helped with planting and watering and in this way as well as through traditional songs and dances they are developing a connection to the environment. For crisis-affected children, this gives them a way to feel connected to the community and to the earth. 

Environmental Management and Livelihood Initiative

We are pleased to have partnered with Environmental Management and Livelihood Initiative (EMLI) in an agroforestry project involving 300 families in Limbe III Municipality in Cameroon. 

EMLI has already conducted a door-to-door sensitization campaign with the 300 farming households, with the aim of raising awareness around climate change, the effects of deforestation, and the value and importance of sustainable agroforestry practices.

Program participants were provided with many seedlings, including plum, pear, bush mango, guava, and coconut, and supervised the planting. EMLI has also taught participants how to prepare organic fertilizers using household waste materials and how to prepare organic pesticides using pepper, onion, garlic, boiled water, and Neem leaves.

In addition to drawing down carbon from the atmosphere, these techniques will also help participants with food and financial security. The practices they learned will be shared with neighbors and the younger generations, thereby extending the impact of the project.

Community Relief and Development Action

Earth Rising Foundation has been delighted to support COREDA’s “Regenerative and Climate Smart Agricultural Project” for youth and women farmers in the Tiko community of Cameroon, with a focus on agricultural techniques for climate mitigation and adaptation, ecological sustainability, and food self-sufficiency and security. 

Thirty farmers participated in a training workshop facilitated by an agronomist, who emphasized the importance of regenerative agriculture in the context of the climate crisis. The training focused specifically on “inga-alley cropping” – the growing of crops between rows of inga trees, which have been shown to be an ideal plant for carbon sequestration. The inga trees are pruned before crops are planted in the alleys; the pruned leaves and small branches are left in the alleys to rot down to form mulch that improves the soil, eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers. Because the trees grow again rapidly, the cycle of pruning and planting crops is repeated year after year on the same plot. The system also provides firewood for cooking, thus taking further pressure off the forests.

The project saw an increase in agricultural yield of 40% and more economic independence for the farmers. Rainforest degradation is also reduced by this method, as the need to find new fertile plots and firewood is significantly reduced. The whole community was favorably impressed and willing to forego slash and burn techniques once they saw the success of this project. Overall, this is a project that can be replicated in many places and will provide a constant source of food while actually improving the soil and sequestering carbon. It's a win on multiple levels.

International Centre for Environmental Education and Community Development

ICENECDEV is working to empower smallholder women farmers in Southwest Cameroon through training in agroecological approaches and regenerative agriculture techniques.

These projects are sponsored through our Regenerative Agriculture program.