Adoption of conservation agriculture and analog forestry in Bui Division, Northwest region, Cameroon (2020)
Authors: TSI Evaristus Angwafo and Kemkia Christian Danernyuy
Location: Bui Division, Cameroon
Analog forestry was introduced in Cameroon in 2008 by a grassroots organization CENDEP (Center for Nursery Development and Era Propagation) and is supported by the government as well as by international organizations like IAFN or Rich Forests through international projects. In this article, the authors examine the extent of the adoption of analog forestry in Bui Division.
- 61% of the Bui population successfully adopted the analog forestry system, which was implemented in three different areas: the individual farms (38%), the community forests (27%) and the water catchments (35%).
- The analog forestry designs in the individual farms focused on auto-consumption and medicine (planting fruit trees, food crops, herbs, timber and hedge trees, and medicinal plants); the analog forestry applied in the community forests and water catchments aimed to create nurseries and to plant seedlings.
- 22.2% of the farmers increased their income from selling non-timber forest products; other reported benefits were: increased forest protection (21.1%), bigger water supply (17.8%), promotion of social group interaction and development (15.6%), nicer environment (8.3%), and respect for indigenous knowledge (8.3%).
- Although the above-ground carbon content was similar between the analog forest and the teak plantation, the soil carbon content was significantly higher in the analog forest.
- The authors concluded that the analog forest system stored more carbon because of its ability to efficiently balance above- and below-ground carbon storage; the soil in the analog forest was also healthier, making the analog forest sustainable in the long term.
- In addition, the analog forest provided a different portfolio of timber and non-timber forest products and materials and could support the well-being and the economy of people living in that area.