CHARACTERIZATION OF AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE WELL-BEING OF THE POPULATION OF THE SUDANO-SAHELIAN ZONE OF CAMEROON
Authors: HAMAWA YOUGOUDA, ABDOU SALAM, WASSOUO Félix Alain, DANGAÏ Youhana and MAPONGMETSEM Pierre Marie
HAMAWA YOUGOUDA: Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Derived Products, National advanced School of Engineering, The University of Maroua; P. O. Box 46 Maroua, Cameroon.
ABDOU SALAM: Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Derived Products, National advanced School of Engineering, The University of Maroua; P. O. Box 46 Maroua, Cameroon.
WASSOUO Félix Alain: Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Derived Products, National advanced School of Engineering, The University of Maroua; P. O. Box 46 Maroua, Cameroon.
DANGAÏ Youhana: Agroecology and agronomic Sciences Laboratory, Higher Institute of Agriculture, Wood, Water and Environment; P. O. Box 416 Bertoua, Cameroon & Biodiversity and Sustainable Development Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Ngaoundere, P.O. Box 456 Ngaoundere, Cameroon.
MAPONGMETSEM Pierre Marie: Agroecology and agronomic Sciences Laboratory, Higher Institute of Agriculture, Wood, Water and Environment; P. O. Box 416 Bertoua, Cameroon.
ABSTRACT
The demographic explosion in developing countries leads to a loss of biodiversity and insufficient of arable land. One of the challenges facing these countries is to produce enough goods and services to meet the needs of their population. This study aims to: (i) characterize the structure and practices of agroforestry systems based on mango and cashew trees in the Sudano-Sahelian zone; (ii) study the floristic composition of agroforestry systems and (iii) assess their impact on agricultural production and the well-being of the population of the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Cameroon. To do this, a participatory and reiterative analysis using a semi-structured questionnaire conducted among 90 farmers spread across five villages and combined with an ecological study was conducted. The results showed that agroforestry systems have a small area and are more than 20 years old in the majority. A total of 37 species grouped in 35 genera and 22 families were identified. Individuals had a “J”-shaped vertical distribution with a strong dominance of individuals of the past. The annual production of agroforestry systems is estimated at 71.3 tons. The main products were fruits (27.5 tons), onions (19.4 tons) and cereals (12.5 tons). Food, construction and medicine were the main uses of these systems while microclimate moderation (95.2%), conservation and restoration of fertility (75.2%), biodiversity conservation (95.4%) were the most important services encountered. Agroforestry systems offered enormous potential to increase production and to improve the goods and services and also provided a sustainable benefit to the population. It is therefore urgent to develop them in this study zone to not only counteract the degradation of forests but also improve the living conditions of the populations.
Keywords: Agroforestry systems, impact, well-being, Sudano-Sahelian zone, Cameroon