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This paper examines the determinants of adoption of certified cocoa production with a view to find means increase the pace of adoption of certified cocoa production in order to improve on the livelihood of cocoa farmers, carried out in Meme division, South West region of Cameroon. The multistage purposive and random sampling technique was used to get a sample of 400 cocoa farmers or producers, from whom necessary information were elicited using questionnaires. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics and binomial logistic model. The results revealed that 26% of respondents have adopted certified cocoa production with the performance and penetration index of 1%. Moreover the results also revealed that age of respondent, productivity, access to extension services, access to credit, off-farm income, profitability and farm size were statistically significant factors influencing adoption of certified cocoa production. Also level of education, marital status, access to input and perceived risk were positive and statistically not significant factors the influence adoption of certified cocoa production while gender and household size were not statistically significant and negatively influence adoption of certified cocoa production. It can be concluded that the main hindrance of adoption certified cocoa production is inadequate sensitization. This implied that awareness creation by the actors is inadequate. It was recommended that sensitization of farmers should reinforced and also all factors that significantly affect adoption of technologies be improved.

Empirical evidence confirms the role of local institutions in natural resource management in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While their exact actions in this aspect is important, even more pertinent is the way these institutions can be rekindled in the midst of seemingly weak formal structures to support resource management processes. Using empirical case studies from 8 SSA countries, complemented by field-based experience on local institutional dynamics, we analyse local institutions with a view to reposition them in resource management. Our analysis suggests that in repositioning local institutions, attention should be given to local institutional capacity, regulatory frameworks, institutional performance and transplantation. JEL Codes: D02, Q20

Ecotourism is increasingly accepted as a suitable alternative for sustaining rural livelihoods. In spite of this trend, quantitative assessments of relationships between household assets and ecotourism choices, and the policy implications thereof, currently account for only a negligible number of studies in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper contributes to this evidence gap by analyzing the extent to which households&rsquo, assets drive ecotourism choices on a representative sample of 200 households in Cameroon. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Human Development Index (HDI) were used to construct indices for ecotourism choices. The ordinary least square and logit models were also employed to estimate the effect of various household assets on ecotourism choices. A high preference was observed for the production and sale of arts and crafts items and the promotion of cultural heritage sites as key ecotourism choices. More women are found to participate in conservation education, as opposed to culture-related activities such as arts and crafts. Access to education and training were inversely related to cultural festival promotion. The results suggest the need to: (i) stem the overdependence on conservation sites for wood supply to the arts and crafts sector, (ii) enforce endogenous cultural institutional regulations, including those that increase female participation in guiding future ecotourism choices. This paper contributes to ecotourism development and conservation theory, with regards to unbundling household level predictors of ecotourism choices, and has implications on the design of policies to implement environmentally less-demanding ecotourism activities.

The role of cooperatives in buffering the effects of imperfect markets on smallholder agriculture especially in developing countries has been widely atoned. However, and in spite of eminent advantages, not all smallholder farmers join cooperatives. We use empirical data from coffee farmers in Northwestern Cameroon to identify key factors driving coffee farmers’ decisions to join or not to join a cooperative. Using a standardized questionnaire, data was collected from 140 randomly selected farmers (members and non-members) in contact with North West Cooperative Association Limited (NWCA). Data collection took place in January 2018, with 2017 as the reference period. We use the data to characterize the coffee sector in the region, and to identify key drivers for cooperative membership. 41.4% and 58.6% were NWCA members and nonmembers respectively. The area of land under coffee cultivation, dominant income source, household size, experience in coffee farming, and timely payment of farmers’ dues by the cooperative were the key factors influencing coffee farmers’ decision to join the cooperative or not (P=0.05). Identifying such drivers from farmers’ perspectives and informing policy decisions can increase competitive advantage of smallholder farmers and reduce the effects of market imperfection, as embedded in cooperative concept. This should render the concept once more attractive and portray it as a rational option to many smallholder farmers.

Rural communities in the Sub-Sahara African region have become focal points for climate adaptation especially in the agricultural sector. This is due to their significant involvement in agro-pastoral activities which constitute the lifeblood of most of the economies of this region, with about 85% of the indigenous populations relying on it for their survival. Both long and short term climatic oscillations have succeeded, and will continue to disrupt crop and livestock output thus signaling threats to food security. Although the communities have either consciously or unconsciously made use of some indigenous adaptation strategies, they are judged to be weak at the moment. This requires the designation of context-specific agro-pastoral adaptation frameworks. Using focus group discussions (FGDs) of 6 agro-pastoral groups (10 representatives each) in this region, complemented by content analysis, field surveys and the extensive review of literature on case studies for other SSA communities, we analyze current indigenous adaptation mechanisms in the agro-pastoral sector and attempt to construct an indigenous adaptation framework for rural agro-pastoral communities in Cameroon. Our analysis of data leads us to conclude that current adaptation measures rely mainly on crop diversification and mixed farming. Although these methods are good, the scale of operation and the degree of diversification is still low to climate-proof the agro-pastoral sector. Furthermore, these changes are introduced in the midst of poor farming practices such as slash and burn and related systems. Current indigenous adaptation strategies are weak and are correlated with income levels, level of farmers involvement in organizations, knowledge and perception. We recommend the effective engagement of agro-pastoral stakeholders as key in developing an adaptable framework, based on their knowledge of current adaptation strategies.

Although the cocoa sector has a long standing history as a key income generating activity (IGA) that contribute to the improvement of the livelihoods of communities within the Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP), it is faced with a number of challenges especially with respect to processing (fermentation and drying) and marketing. These stand as a constraint to conservation (increased wood usage and low incomes). Using focus group discussions (FGDs) within 10 farmer field schools (FFS) consisting of ten participants each (7 male 3 female), we assessed the current processing and marketing situation within the MCNP and their implications for conservation, identified key areas of intervention to improve on cocoa fermentation, drying, marketing and cooperative formation, including training and certification. In addition, we assessed the challenges involved in improving the cocoa sector by enhancing the adoption of modern methods of processing and marketing to guarantee conservation within the MCNP. We established that a majority of the farmers in the MCNP make use of local methods of cocoa fermentation and drying. Furthermore, more than 80% of the farmers depend on the informal marketing while less than 20% of the cocoa farming populations have successfully gone through training and certification at FFS, and approximately 20-30% of the farmers are affiliated to cooperatives. The study recommended a number of interventions at the level of cocoa fermentation and drying, the elimination of the informal market chain, the intensification and harmonization of training and certification programs, and the institution of possible synergies.

This study captures the relationship of risks, potentials and microfinance sustainable growth in Cameroon where growth has been particularly favored by increased unreliability of the formal banking sector. However, significant improvements currently observed in the latter sector present a new form of risk. How MFIs will survive in the face of a vibrant commercial banking sector in Cameroon is not fully researched. Empirical data from the North West region of Cameroon was purposively and randomly selected for the case study of two Microfinance institutions, CamCCUL and MUGFIC PLC. Collected quantitative data was analyzed. It was observed that CamCCUL clients were generally less exposed to risks than MUGFIC ones (99% and 94% respectively; X2=0.03. On the contrary, MUGFIC generally engaged in riskier activities than CamCULL (P=0.000). These risks can however be significantly minimized through improved risk management strategies to further mitigate risks in the MF sector in Cameroon. Key words: risks, potentials, microfinance, sustainable growth, poverty, Cameroon

Rising interests to support green development through targeted conservation approaches in the developing world attracted international NGO attention especially in the 1990s. One of such NGOs, the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has been backstopping many African nations in the process of realizing the twin objectives of livelihood sustenance and protected area conservation. In the case of Cameroon, one of her key areas of intervention has been the introduction of green business initiatives as a way of strengthening the link between livelihood support and conservation in protected areas. With a focus on Cameroon, we review the green business model (Note 1) as a WWF intervention approach in Africa. We undertake a random survey of household representatives drawn from 7 WWF conservation cooperatives in Cameroon on their perceptions and preferences with regards to the green business initiative. This was complemented by interviews to 8 WWF and partner CSO representatives, and field observations. The results are discussed to include a schema of the green business approach in Africa with a focus on Cameroon, cooperative members’ knowledge levels of the initiative, impact of the initiative and clarity of benefit sharing schemes in place, among others. The pairwise correlation shows a strong positive relationship between knowledge/experience levels and a number of elements including shortcomings of the initiative, the need for strategy improvement, and the tendency for outside influence on the green business choices. This aspect equally showed a strong positive correlation with the need to switch to other green business options and unclear benefit sharing. In conclusion, we argue for a shift in the green business approach to capture issues of improvement in knowledge levels, diversification, technical and institutional capacity building, clarity of benefit sharing, and value chain development. We further advocate for a green business approach in tandem with the aspirations of local populations around protected areas on the one hand, and the need for a conservation cooperative alliance on the other hand. The results contribute to the “green economy” discourse which has significantly gained grounds in all spheres of conservation and development interventions.

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), among other regions of the world, stands today as one of the hardest hit areas as far as the concomitants of climate change is concerned. This is particularly the case with the agro-pastoral sector which is the lifeblood of most of the economies of this region with about 85% of the indigenous populations relying on agriculture for their survival. Both long and short term climatic oscillations have succeeded to disrupt crop and livestock output thus signaling threats to food security. Although the communities have either consciously or unconsciously made use of some indigenous adaptation strategies, they are judged to be weak at the moment. This requires the designation of context-specific agro-pastoral adaptation frameworks. Using focus group discussions (FGDs) of 6 agro-pastoral groups (10 representatives each) in this region, complemented by field surveys and the extensive review of literature on case studies for other SSA communities, we analyze the knowledge, perceptions and adaptation strategies for individual agro-pastoral households in rural Cameroon. Our analysis of data leads us to conclude that future climatic situation is characterized by increasing unpredictability, introducing shocks of varying degrees in the crop and livestock sector necessitating varying formal and informal mechanisms. Current adaptation measures rely mainly on crop diversification and mixed farming. Although these methods are good, the scale of operation and the degree of diversification is still low to climate-proof the agro-pastoral sector. Furthermore, these changes are introduced in the midst of poor farming practices such as slash and burn and ankara systems. Current indigenous adaptation strategies are weak and have a connection with income levels, level of farmers organizations, knowledge and perception.

Community participation in rural development is no longer a new terminology in the development lexicon of developing countries. In most developing nations, there exist a great disparity between the rural and the urban centres in terms of socio-economic development. Central Ejagham, an enclaved community in Manyu Division of southwestern Cameroon has, over the years, been faced with a number of development challenges. In response to this, and inline with the government of Cameroon’s policy of supporting self-reliant development, the community engaged in a series of self-defined community development activities in a multiplicity of sectors, on the bases of locally identified abilities and resources. This paper adopts qualitative methods such as interviews, focus group discussions, detailed field observations which were complemented by secondary data sources and content analysis to examine the barriers and indigenous efforts towards enhancing community participation in Central Ejagham. We observe that the level of participation in a majority of the projects falls either within the “tokenism” or the “citizen control” rungs of Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation. In addition, although “tokenism” rung projects in Central Ejagham receive much financial and technical support, although they are saddled with commitment-related challenges. Conversely, projects at the “citizen control” rung are characterized by significant commitment but are hampered by limited (financial and technical)resources. To further enhance community participation, we recommend that projects at the “tokenism” rung which are generally viable in terms of financial and technical capacity be stepped up to the “citizen control” level, inorder to guarantee maximum participation for better results. In addition, we suggest that the legislative arm of the government should introduce a bill on the need to effectively support community developmental efforts. This. We believe, will make “citizen control” rung projects to become more effective. Finally, a platform to guarantee the sustainability of projects and to ensure the adequate dissemination of information on sourcing for external funding to support projects should be introduced.