FAP NGO Cameroon

Bamenda, Cameroon

An Overview Of Our Solution

Ngoketunjia is a main rice growing region in Cameroon w/ approx 2500ha of rice fields involving over 8500 farmers. Rice farming is undertaken mostly by individual farmers as a cash crop, families relying on rice harvests to fund basic necessities like school fees, medicines. Farmers have as their main challenges high cost of farm inputs & limited irrigation infrastructure. To overcome these challenges, FAP NGO Cameroon & Skills for Development UK introduced an innovative initiative, System of Rice Intensification (SRI). This initiative empowers local rice farmers to improve yields through updated, sustainable & ecological farming innovations. SRI changes the conventional practices of rice growing by enabling plants to better express their potential of production. The results are increase in production, resilient to droughts, pests & diseases.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

Nonprofit

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Freshwater

Population impacted

100,000 people

Size of agricultural area

3,500 ha for traditional farming systems and 50 ha for SRI innovation plots

Production quantity

Approx 10,000,000 kilos for traditional farming systems and 250,000 kilos for SRI innovation plots

People employed

8500 for traditional farming systems and 90 people for SRI innovation plots

Describe your solution

System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is an innovation that changes the conventional practices of rice-growing by enabling the rice plants to better express their potential of production. In practice, it consists in producing rice with less seeds, water and fertilizers on a soil rich in organic matter and well ventilated. It illustrates that relatively simple innovations can make a world of difference. It also shows that the transition to sustainable agriculture is a comprehensive social learning process involving many stakeholders– primarily farmers. SRI is not a fixed package but a set of interdependent agronomic principles. The practice of spacing single plants more widely enables plants to create more and stronger tillers and roots and become much more efficient in their uptake of water and nutrients. The result is a crop more resilient to droughts, pests and diseases. The use of organic fertilizer creates a favorable environment for interactions between roots and the soil’s micro-organisms. This solution consisted of workshops and field activities on the following topics; Nursery establishment, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, storage, composting and production of Rotary weeders. The SRI approach has restored soil biodiversity through organic farming; it has ensured sustainable harvest from enough soil nutrients. Increased harvest has ensured food security. (Yield from traditional plots = 40-50 kg. Yield from SRI plots = 90-100 kg for a 10x10m plot)

Describe your implementation

The implementation included theory and field works which started with: 1. Nursery management and priming- Farmers learned how to prepare seedling nurseries in different approaches. 2. Field preparation and management- Field preparation to support rice plant and of its soil and water conditions. Farmers learned how “to grow the soil and the soil will grow the plants” 3. Transplanting practices- Transplant young seedlings, transplanting single seedling per clump carefully. Farmers learned the transplanting stage of 8-12 days (or just 2 leaves) and planting space of 25x25cm. 4. Weeding- Moving the weeder with forward and backward motion to bury the weeds and to aerate the soil. 5. Harvest management- To avoid crop loss and damage at harvest, farmers acquired knowledge on how to determine best harvesting practices and threshing. 6. Post-harvest and storage management- Farmers acquired knowledge on post-harvest and storage management. 7. Composting- Compost preparation and management as alternative to chemical fertilizers. Adopted and promoted change in human activities The trained 3 group leaders created farmer field schools to practice lessons learnt. The results showed Yield from traditional plots = 40-50 kg. Yield from SRI plots = 90-100 kg for a 10x10m plot sizes. Farming 15 groups with 220 farmers are now involved. Enabling conditions Ndop plain wetlands have 4 months of dry season and 8 months wet season good environment for rice cultivation. There is 3500 ha developed land un developed for rice cultivation by the growing population Key success factors Innovation easy to adopt, favorable climate and soils, available labour force and local available materials for compost making. Any obstacles and how you overcame them Un leveled fields as a hindrance for farmers to succeed with 100% SRI yields; farmers were thought how to level their plots before planting.

External connections

The initiative was supported in Cameroon by FAP (Forest and Agro Forestry Promoters) Cameroon based in Ngoketunjia who came with extensive field experience on agricultural activities in particular rice growing in wetlands areas in Ngoketunjia. FAP has been responsible for field activities programs co-ordinated by the International Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), the Food and Agricultural organization (FAO), and many more. FAP was responsible for co-ordinating this solution in Cameroon. The program was co-ordinated by Skills for Development (SfD), a UK registered charity whose mandate is in the transfer of skills & capacity building across disempowered communities. Through its trustees SfD boasts experience ranging across Cameroon but also across international development programs. SfD took responsibility for monitoring & reporting. The initiative actually had technical support from SRI International who sent us a technician from Zambia to introduce this innovative solution in Cameroon. He was funded by Skills for Development to work with FAP NGO Cameroon. After the initial training Jaff Francis of FAP NGO has been promoting the initiative in Cameroon till today. The project is part of Cameroon government policies in promoting organic farming and food self-sufficiency and also Sustainable Development goal 1 and 2. (1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere & 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture)

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

A survey of the some participating rice farming groups for the farming year 2007/2008 carried out by FAP and the UK partner showed that whilst 62% of farmers used fertilizers for their farms, only 17% used the UNVDA a rice development corporation recommended treatment by volume. Only 30% of farmers had started using manure or compost on their farms. Only 44% of farmers use chemical inputs (fertilizers, herbicide and insecticide). This is compounded by the fact that 64% of the surveyed farmers have not had formal training on rice cultivation are utilizing poor methodologies. As such yields are low, and 54% of farmers achieving half or less than half of the expected yield of 6 t/ha during the agricultural year of 2007/2008. The ecological challenge for use of chemical farm inputs such as inorganic fertilizers, herbicide and insecticide destroys soil micro and macro organisms and enhance leaching of soil nutrients, these chemical inputs are very expensive and are poorly handled.

Describe the context in which you are operating

In times of growing food scarcity and population pressures, rice has increasingly reached the global arena as a commodity of strategic importance. Rice is a stable food in Cameroon and in time of scarcity the population resort to eating imported rice.
Ndop plain in Ngoketunjia Division is in the Upper Noun valley has good soil for rice cultivation. The upper Noun valley Authority (UNVDA) a government corporation handles rice production and commercialization since 1960s, UNVDA is charged with the supervision of rice production and marketing for sustainable development. Rice production is an integral part of the culture of the people and has been providing for food security, nutrition, income and employment to the population. Rice production is the mainstay of the present day economy of the Division and has created jobs and raised income levels of the population as well as changed local consumer preferences. Many women and youths are employed for most of the farming activities. Income from rice production has an overall impact on household income. Water is supplied to the plains from the upper Noun watersheds.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

The introduction of organic farming system (SRI) and the knowledge on compost preparation, management and used to replace chemical fertilizers has improve biodiversity, compost manure and green manure application during weeding improve soil biodiversity, while manure feeds the soil, the soil feeds the plants with nutrients. During trainings, conservation farming ethics (avoiding slash-and-burn farming practices that destroys the environment and soil biodiversity was highly discouraged while encouraging organic farming with the use of animal droppings, compost manure and green manure.. Some biodiversity results achieved include; ¬ Increase in soil biodiversity (Micro and Macro organisms) through the use of organic/ compost manure ¬ Reduction of environmental pollution from the use of chemicals ¬ Reduction of health hazards from the consumption of organic food and non use of chemical inputs ¬ Increased in plants vegetation cover Increased nutrient availability and uptake

Language(s)

French, English

Water

Stronger more robust plants are better able to handle poor irrigation conditions and SRI has been proven to reduce water requirements Farmers were thought and are using embankments to controle water in their rice field, they were also advice to level their plots as to allow easy circulation of water in the cultivated plots.

Food Security/Nutrition

The increase in rice production from an average of 40-50 kg per an area of 10x10m to 90-100 kg per the same area through the use of SRI.( Organic farming) has ensured food security and consumption of organic food which has improved their nutrient intake.

Economic/Sustainable Development

The benefit for additional rice harvested and the non use chemical inputs have ensured additional income, which has made farmers more economically viable to contribute to their community development project in the community. The utilization of SRI organic farming technique is economically sustainable; the system does not need huge capital or investment to start. SRI needs mostly family labour to ensure huge economic returns. Without external inputs and labour the SRI has been very sustainable.

Climate

The practice of spacing single plants more widely enables plants to create more and stronger tillers and roots and become much more efficient in their uptake of water and nutrients and in utilizing solar radiation. The result is a crop that is more resilient to droughts, pests and diseases, these plants absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen which reduces the effects of climate change. The non use of chemical inputs that pollutes the environment mitigates climate effects.

Sustainability

The sustainability of this proposed solution has been considered from two angles:
1. Perpetuation of initiated solution: The solution has laid emphasis on organizing and building the capacities of the beneficiary groups. This will ensure that these groups continue to lead the solution and extend it to other members within the community; the revenue from the solution will be plough back into rice cultivation and surplus use for basic needs like school fees for children, payment of hospital bills etc.
The participatory approach will ensure that the beneficiaries appropriate solution activities and outcomes right from the onset. This shall ensure that they continue to maintain the organic farming approach to ensure outputs and income.

Return on investment

SRI needs little or no investment as compared to the traditional practices with the use of expensive chemical inputs for cultivation. The cost of implementing this solution depends on the farm sizes and the objective of the farmer, cultivation for subsistence may not need cost if the family size is small. Cost for labour and additional organic fertilizers is needed if farmers intend to go Commercial. For the implementing organization for the solution. It has cost close to 25000 USD to train 15 groups of 220 people on SRI, this investment was aimed at empowering rice farmers to use this solution to achieve food self sufficiency, food security, poverty alleviation and income generation in a sustainable and ecological manner.

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

This initiative started with 03 farming groups and later replicated to 15 groups who were trained and supported, they have a good record of success stories that will be use to empower their peers within and out of Ngoketunjia Division. They will be distributed within the rice farming communities to share with their experiences and help their peers to replicate what they have been doing in their farms. Farmers not involved in SRI will recognize the value of SRI and will be able to practice it in their farms and compare with traditional practices. They will be discouraged to use harmful practices that affects human and soil biodiversity. Funding will be needed for transport, resource fee, training materials and cost for the production of rotary weeders. The sustainable use of SRI as an innovative socio-economic development tool to transform the behavior of local stakeholders.. The key stakeholders now are FAP NGO Cameroon, Skill for Development UK and the trained groups.

Overview