Many local communities in Cameroon especially around protected areas survive through the exploitation of natural resources in the wild. This study was set out to assess the different livelihood activities carried out in communities located in the corridor between the Deng Deng National Park and the Belabo Council Forest. This assessment was a giant step towards the planning for effective conservation of biodiversity in the corridor. To achieve this, a household survey was conducted using the simple random sampling technique where each household was given equal opportunity of being chosen to take part in the survey. Surveys on hunting and Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) were conducted. During these surveys a total of 440 questionnaires were administered in 11 villages. The results revealed that agriculture, hunting and the collection or harvesting of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) were the major livelihood activities carried out by the local population. Most respondents (51%) farm sizes were between 0.5 to 3 hectares and crops cultivated were; cocoyams, plantains, potatoes, cassava, groundnut and maize. A total of 69% of the population were engaged in the collection and harvesting of NTFPs such as njansang (Ricinodendron heudoloti), bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis), bitter cola (Garcinia kola), colanut (Cola nitida). A majority of respondents (97%) collected the NTFPs for consumption and sale. It was shown that 53% of the collector earned at least 100,000XAF to 200,000XAF per year. With respect to hunting, a majority of respondents (87%) hunt for sale and consumption while 11% hunt just for sale. The studied communities depend highly on the forest and this has led to loss of biodiversity through habitat loss and fragmentation. Thus, adequate conservation management strategies are very instrumental for the improvement of biodiversity and livelihood in the corridor.
This study presents agroforestry practices by farmers in Mount Bamboutos, why they adopt agroforestry practices and main constraints towards adoption as well as the relationship between agroforestry practices and household food security. A purposive sampling technique was used to administer 195 questionnaires. Data collected were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The demographic information analyzed showed that the majority of respondents were males (76%) and all were literate with a majority using fuel wood as their main source of energy. The major agroforestry practices were, planting of fodder, fertilizer, fruit and timber trees, compost manure and farm yard manure preparation. The highest year of adoption of agroforestry practices was in 2019. Most (50%) of the respondents adopted agroforestry practices for better crop yields. However, the main constraints to agroforestry adoption were lack of training, lack of seeds and much labour involved. Lack of training was the greatest constraint cited by respondents. 39% of the respondents were food secure and apart from compost manure practice that was negatively associated with food security, all the other agroforestry practices were positively associated with food security. Based on findings of this study, it is recommended that extension agents and other stakeholders should intensify efforts to educate and train more farmers on the practice and advantages of agroforestry. This will go a long way to increase adoption rate while ensuring food security.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.