Regenerative Agriculture and Agroforestry has been honored as National Winner of 2024 Energy Globe Award
Regenerative Agriculture and Agroforestry has been honored as National Winner of 2024 Energy Globe Award
The project aimed at training small-holder farmers in regenerative agriculture techniques and agroforestry in the western grass field regions of Cameroon. Specifically this project focused on climate adaption, carbon sequestration and conservation agriculture techniques, including the use of cover crops; “no till” practices, rotating crops, conserving water and using native crop varieties and trees to manage pests.
These approaches not only contribute to long term climate resilience, but also increase productivity, decrease farming input costs, and improve soil fertility. The project also increased local availability of safe, quality vegetables and fruits for the poorest and most vulnerable populations in the region. Specifically this portion of the project worked to produce a wide variety of fruits and vegetables with integrated social ownership and management and involvement. IAA trains and supports rural smallholder farmers in conservation agriculture and agroforestry, promoting sustainable practices that reduce water and chemical use, prevent land degradation, and protect biodiversity. Over the course of this project IAA has reached thousands of people directly through trainings on gardening and agroforestry skills and environmental education outreach, and restored 51,000 hectares of degraded land, benefiting millions of people in the Western Grassland Regions by enhancing food security, climate resilience, and economic capacity. Over 36 trainings were conducted in 2024. Additionally the agroforestry portion of this project resulted in 2790 gardens planted increasing the food security and income level for at least 4900 people at the household level.
In recognition of the impact of this project IAA has recently been named a national winner of Energy Globe Award 2024. In total, around 2000 projects from 141 countries entered this year's competition,
underlining the fact that the Energy Globe Award is the most important environmental award in the world today.
IAA’s project has been submitted to the international jury and we await news on the Energy Globe World Award later this year.
Project Highlights:
Crisis Relief through sustainable agriculture to build hope and resilience in the agriculture/environment sector for conflict affected women and communities in Cameroon.
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT.
The 6 months project aimed at increasing local availability of safe, quality vegetables and empower conflict affected women and communities to enhance food security as well as achieving nutritional balance for 100 households, through diversification of diets of the poorest segments of the vulnerable populations in Kumbo, Bui Division, Northwest Region of Cameroon. The project targeted diverse groups of beneficiaries including; ethnic communities, female-headed households, newly settled families, resource-poor herders and smallholder farmers, and other vulnerable groups without access to secure livelihood. The objective was to implement and mainstream innovative, sustainable, affordable and regenerative approaches to improve food security amongst 100 of the most vulnerable people in Kumbo area, and enhance the capacity of resource-poor and poverty-stricken farmers and herders at low income brackets through training and support to produce a wide variety of vegetables like onions,
cabbages, carrots, pepper, Irish potato, huckleberry etc, using regenerative practices with integrated social ownership and management and involvement. In response to global climate change, the project also aimed at promoting conservation agriculture, which is the foundation of climate-smart agriculture to help vulnerable communities understand the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity and how to reduce their carbon footprint on agriculture.
RESULTS/OUTCOMES/IMPACT
The grant from The Embassy of Switzerland in Cameroon has helped Integrated Agricultural Association (IAA) to strengthen the country’s food system in light of changing weather patterns and other challenges caused by the ongoing armed conflict in NW/SW regions and strengthen the affected communities with outreach and support. With the grant received in April 2024, IAA have reached 359 people directly, from diverse backgrounds; including 190 women, 81 men and 88 youths with essential gardening skills, nutritional education and agroforestry resources and skills, created awareness about climate change through environmental education outreach, helping to achieve larger goals like food security, adequate nutrition, increased livelihood opportunities, climate smart or resilient agriculture, community building and gender equality for thousands of people in the following ways:
i.) Community Development:
IAA boosted its integrated demonstration garden in Kumbo with land capacity of 5 hectares, which will serve as a community hub for learning and access to planting resources. The garden involves an apiary, seed multiplication, agroforestry promotion, hands-on learning on ecological and bee farming and the distribution of potato tubers and fruit seedlings to smallholder farmers to support the ongoing agricultural development.
ii.) Home gardens support:
IAA empowered households with essential gardening skills and resources which resulted in the distribution of over 100,000grams of vegetables seeds and gardening tools to boost food production. Seed types distributed include; Cabbage, Carrot, Onion, Pepper, huckleberry, Cucumber, Okra, Tomato , Potato tubers, Sweet pepper, tree seedlings and Organic manure (2000kgs of cow dung) which resulted in 1350 gardens supported to increase food security and income level for 1350 people at the family/household level. Each seed type represents one garden and average family size is 10 members for 135 farm families supported. Tools include; 100 hoes, 100 watering cans, 100 machetes and 25 pairs of rain boots and 4000 tree seedlings.
iii.) Nutrition and Diet:
Empowered women on good nutrition practices, diet control and different nutrition options to reduce diet related diseases and malnutrition. With the message “Food is Medicine”, IAA implemented 10 workshops with 300 people which has contributed to promoting public health and wellness through essential education on adequate nutrition and how to reduce food waste amongst conflict affected communities and women.
iv.) Environmental education:
IAA engaged mixed age groups and community members on topics like deforestation, dangers of chemical fertilizers on agriculture, carbon emission and created awareness about climate change through regular environmental education outreach.
iv.) Enhancing Livelihoods through Agricultural Efficiency:
Integrated Agricultural Association trained women and smallholder farmers on (1) Conservation agriculture, which is the foundation of climate
smart agriculture (2) Ecological farming, which include ecological principles and techniques, mixed cropping, organic pest management, biodiversity and plant genetic resources and (3) Vegetables diversity and nutrition, economic power of vegetable gardening, seed selection and management.
EVOLUTION:
However, IAA recognizes that sustainable development requires continuous learning and adaptation to new challenges. This grant presents an opportunity for IAA to enhance the leadership skills of its team, gain advanced knowledge in sustainable agriculture, and network with global experts in environmental management. By deepening their understanding of innovative practices and policies, IAA aims to scale up this initiative, increase its impact, and empower more women in Cameroon and beyond. To go further, Dungrila Pascal Mbimenyuy, the Project Leader has partnered with Earth Guardian International to lead the Earth Guardian Crew of young climate leaders at the Integrated Agricultural Association (IAA) in Cameroon, as efforts to train and inspire young and community members on environmental and climate justice. With increased demand for quality seedling s and vegetables seeds amongst vulnerable farmers, without consistent support, IAA will increase the production capacity of its demonstration garden; grafted avocado, oranges, lemon, at least 20000 seedlings and 20 tons of potato tubers a year to supply at subsidized rate to cover some of the funding needs of the project in the future while supporting the communities to secure food and nutrition, and train community members on indigenous seed multiplication and preservation to avoid continues reliance on external support for seed donation.
