Impact of Climate Change on Female Farmers in Cameroon

Introduction: Climate change is an imminent threat to Cameroon’s development due the country’s dependence on natural resources and Cameroonians’ dependence on agriculture for livelihoods and subsistence. Under current climate conditions, about two million people (nine percent of Cameroon’s population) live in drought-affected areas, and about eight percent of the country’s GDP is vulnerable. This is especially true for indigenous and autotochones women, responsible for 80% of family subsistence and a significant portion of domestic production. Climate change is equally increasing reliance on fertilizers, which can accelerate soil degradation, erosion and reduce farmers revenues over the long run. This is because the war in Ukraine has caused the prices of fertilizer to rise and Ukraine supplies 45% of Cameroon’s fertilizer (Guardian Post, 2023). This brief will look at the impact of climate change on female farmers and agro-entrepreneurs in Cameroon. Section I starts by looking at changes in climatic conditions across Cameroon, followed by the effects of climate change on women farmers in section II. Section III looks at current strategies to support women farmers in Cameroon. It concludes with policy recommendations to support women whose farms are at risk of climate change.

Policy Recommendations

  • Although individual women are implementing some adaptation strategies, comprehensive public policy measures, including promotion of better land use management and gender-sensitive technologies, are vital to sustain efforts against climate change in Cameroon.
  • Adequate measures should be taken to identify companies that target female farmers such as Mumita Holdings, which provides greenhouse technologies and irrigation systems to support the year-round production of African Indigenous Vegetables, rain or shine. Meanwhile, locally-led government initiatives such as  theUpper Nun Valley Development Authority (UNVDA) programme in the North West region has supported 300 women in Ndop into rice farming. They show that a people-led approach to policy can achieve positive and sustained change in terms of climate change adaptability and resilience.

You can Download the Full Policy Brief here

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