Urban Agriculture Initiative

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INTRODUCTION: The political instability in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon led to the development of the Urban Agriculture Programme for IDP’s. This programme was created due to the abandonment of more than 700 hectares of farmland in in Fako Division and beyond. Most of the farmers migrated to urban areas (Buea, Limbe, Tiko  etc) with their families because of security reasons, hence completely abandoning their farms. As a result of this, the urban areas which depend on the rural areas for food supply, can no longer do so thus a major food security threat in the Urban Areas.

However, there where so many vacant plots in these cities that were identified by EFPA who later played IDP’s on them to carry out Urban Agriculture.

CONCEPT

  1. To double the income of IDP’s/Families
  2. To improve on the food security of host communities and improved on the livelihood of displaced persons as their farms will not only act as a source of food but also as a source of income.
  3. To reduce food insecurity in Buea.
  4. To close the food gap of internally displaced persons.
  5. To involve displaced Families/Persons in urban agriculture given that most of the farms in rural areas have been abandoned.
  6. To ensure that IDPs have access to land in urban areas for urban agriculture to cultivate crops such as Maize, Cassava, Plantains, Okoro, Cocoyam, Beans, Tomatoes, Potatoes and different varieties of vegetables in urban areas.

THE TARGET

  1. The target of this project was to identify 10 to 15 hectares of land (vacant plots) in Buea and ensure that IDP’s have access to use this land for urban agriculture,
  2. This project was divided into four farming seasons to affect about 100 families for a period of two years.
  3. To engage 20 to 25 families in urban agriculture in the first season of the project that runs between March to June 2019 in urban Agriculture.
  4. The second season 26 to 50 families that will run from August 2019 to October 2019
  5. Third season 51 to 75 families from March 2020 to June 2020 and
  6. The Fourth season 76 to 100 families from August 2020 to October 2020.

Maize farm successfully established in Buea by EFPA, for an internally displaced person (IDP) in Buea

Vegetable farm established for internally displaced persons (IDP’s) in Buea