Cameroon rice farmers in the East and Northwest regions have recorded significant progress in rice production in the last decade thanks to technological knowledge transfer from China.

Chinese rice production scheme introduced in these regions since 2006 has recorded improvement in yields, control of dangerous weeds, the fight against crop diseases, destructive insects and climate stress, agriculture experts say.

 Cameroon’s vast potential in rice and other cereals production is attracting not only investment from China with the setting up of some large-scale rice farms by the SINO-CAM IKO Agriculture Development Co. Ltd in Nanga Eboko in the East  but also providing the opportunity for training and technology transfer in high breed rice farming by rice farmers in Ndop in the Northwest . The scheme is not only boosting rice production in Cameroon but is also helping to improve on the income of rice farmers, as well as add value to the country’s second generation agriculture launched by the government since 2010.

“Cameroon rice farmers have really benefitted from training acquired from Chinese rice experts for quite some years now and this are impacting on the production. With high yield rice breed, and techniques to fight against diseases and the effects of climate change, many farmers have mapped out solution pathways to rice production,” says Bernard Njonga, President of ACDIC an NGO that defends the interest of farmers in Cameroon.

The Cameroon government says its rice production project with China that started in 2006 are a snapshot of Chinese engagement in agriculture in Cameroon, which is certainly not yet exhaustive. In the longer term, activities may accelerate, as more opportunities open up.

“We took the engagement to partner with the Chinese government in rice production not only because of their expertise in this sector but more because of their remarked interest to invest and promote agriculture in Cameroon in general,” says Henry Eyebe Ayisi, Cameroon’s minister of agriculture and rural development in an interview.

Today, the Chinese ‘un-whitened’ rice is produced, packaged and sold in different markets in the country for FCFA 300 per kilogram.

The rice production is expanding to other areas in the country with about 6,000 hectares in Nanga Eboko and 4,000 hectares in Santchou in the West Region. The company officials say they are producing over 100,000 metric tonnes of rice to feed over 600,000 people and providing employment to some 1,000 workers.

The rice production project is the fruit of the Sino-Cameroon relations especially in agriculture. The partnership agreement was signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Integrated Industry-Commerce Corporation of the Shaanxi Land Reclamation and State Farms, China in 2006.

 According to the agreement the latter was granted 10,000 hectares of land for the production, processing and marketing of rice. The agreement was accompanied by the Chinese government’s aid package of 40,000,000 RMB or FCFA 2,8 billion to revive Cameroon’s vast potential in agriculture.

According to the ministry of agriculture,a major offshoot of the partnership agreement was the creation of the subsidiary of the Shaanxi Company in Cameroon under the name SINO-CAM IKO Agriculture Development Co. Ltd. Besides stepping up production, SINO-CAM IKO has, under the stewardship of Yang Haomin, scored several successes in research, improvement of yields, control of dangerous weeds and the fight against crop diseases and destructive insects.

To spread this knowledge and transfer technology throughout Cameroon, a Pilot Centre for Agricultural Technologies training was constructed in 2009 in Nanga Eboko that has helped significantly to empower young rice farmers especially women with innovative skills, demonstration and promotion of agricultural techniques.

 Over 1000 local workers in the East region and some 600 from the Northwest have been trained so far in rice farming techniques including the management of agricultural machines and hydraulics.

“Thanks to the Sino-Cameroon cooperation in rice production, local production scale has improved in quantity and quality,” Minister Eyebe Ayissi acknowledges.

  Improvement in local rice production in the country has since reduced importation as the Chinese breed ‘un-whitened’ rice comes to add to other local breed, Ndop and SAMRY rice produced in the East, Northwest and the Northern region respectively.

 Added to the Ndop Rice that is produced by the Upper Noun Valley Development Authourity UNVDA or the SAMRY rice that comes from the Northern region of Cameroon, the Pakistani, Thailand or Chinese rice now sells in many Cameroonian local markets.

Experts say Cameroon has enormous potentials and high arable fertile land for rice cultivation but records from the ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development says the country produces only 100.000 tons of rice far below the 300.000 tons on demand annually.

“Cameroon is endowed enormous resources especially arable fertile land and human resources to produce enough rice to meet the country’s demand and even export to neighboring countries. The farmers just need the right training skills and material support,” says Zachee Nzohngandembou, coordinator of the Center for Environment and Rural Transformation, CERUT, an NGO that works with farmers in Cameroon.

 With skills learned from the Chinese training programmes in the agro-sector  some rice farmers are now able to maximize production potentials with the introduction of two cropping seasons, he says.

“ This means they can now produce 75,000 tons of rice on a surface area of 15,000 hectares, which was not the case before the training,” says Nzohngandembou.

On another score, the SEMRY project in the Northern region that produces 70 to 80% of Cameroon home-consumed rice announced the acquisition of a rice paddy transformation machine with a ten ton capacity. SEMRY is in record for producing over 70,000 to 80,000 tons of rice annually.

According to experts, Chinese role in agriculture in Africa – in terms of business investment, technology transfer, demonstration efforts, and training – is growing, and shaping perceptions.

The Chinese Agricultural Technology Development Centers have flagship investments programmes for example  is helping many African countries including Cameroon improve production. There are now 23 across Africa, funded by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce under their aid programme, Chinese officials in Cameroon say.

These institutions are run mostly by companies and linked to a commercial model for training and technology demonstration and sale.


The training of government officials is as well an important aspect of the Chinese engagement in Africa. Over 10,000 are trained in China each year, many in agriculture. This far exceeds any training initiative of any western aid programme the officials said.

Challenges

The Chinese have not only trained Cameroon rice farmers but equally own rice plantations with many Cameroonians as their workers. Over ten years down the line since Cameroon partnered with China in production, transformation and trade of agricultural products especially rice, the project has not been without hiccups. Cameroon workers in most of the Chinese owned plantations say they are over worked for little pay.

 “Working in a Chinese plantation means running eight or ten hours nonstop under the sun and the rain for 1,000 Fcfa [1,5 euros] a day” says Zang Dieudonne a rice farmer in Nanga-Eboko.

This remuneration he says does not correspond to the minimum guaranteed wage in Cameroon, which is 28,216 Fcfa per month [about 43 euros].

They also complained of very strict laws for the workers in the field.

“Harvesting any crop is forbidden,” says a taxi driver who has worked for the Chinese firm for a short period. “If they catch you with some rice in your pocket, you are directly sent to the police and accused of theft,” says the former rice farm worker.

 But Sino Cam officials in Nganga Eboko reject the charges of exploitation.

 “We are still in the experimental phase and we are asking our workers to do more so that they may earn more, but they prefer to cheat us. They say they are here to make money – but they need to work to make the company grow,” Zhao, one of the coordinators in the Sino Cam rice plantation in Nanga Eboko.

Local government officials in the area however decry the non involvement of local government in the project.

“The running of a Chino-Cameroon rice farm project in our area is a good initiative. But the local government unfortunately is not part of the project. This has created lack of transparency and information flow  between the local population and the company and this is poisoning relationships between citizens,consumers and the company, says the mayor of Nanga Eboko, Romain Roland Eto

The urban association that defends the interests of farmers, ACDIC, says the non involvement of the local government in the project is dangerous and represents a breach in the rights of the local population.

“When land is sold to foreign buyers for agriculture projects without the involvement of the local government guarantee the interest of the indigenous population will be protected,” says Bernard Njonga, ACDIC President.

 But Chinese officials say everything has been done to protect the interest of the local population in all agriculture projects by China in Cameroon.

“China supports Cameroon's push for self-driven, sustainable agriculture and also supports and protects the interest of local farmers"  said Chinese Ambassador to Cameroon Wo Ruidi, at a cooperation signing agreement with the Cameroon government in 2014.

He added that the two sides should enhance people-to-people exchanges to deepen mutual understanding and cement friendship especially among the youths and women.

“China is willing to help Cameroon train more professionals for its social and economic development,” he said.

Building stronger farm organizations

Stakeholders in the rice sector in Africa pointed at the 3rd Africa Rice Congress held in the Yaounde-Cameroon in October 2015 that there was need to build a strong farmers organization in the continent to address the crucial element of funding for rice research, seed production in the continent.

“Prospects for increasing Africa's rice yields are enormous. We’re already doing well with the Maputo Declaration, allocating 10 percent of our national budgets to agriculture and a significant proportion of that is going to rice production. But we need a strong farmer’s organization to address the crucial issues of funding research, seed production and marketing,” said Gambia’s minister of agriculture, Dr. Solomon Owens, at the third Africa Rice Congress in Yaounde.

“The opportunities for Africa rice farmers are there. The land is there, the water is there, the farmers are prepared to increase their production. So, it’s for research to give the technologies, give the varieties and for the policymakers to come up with strong and bold policies and financing opportunities,” Owens said.

He cited the examples of countries in West Africa and Egypt that are expected to drive growth with a robust production recovery, and a target of 30 million tons by 2020.

Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Rice Market Monitor predicts rice harvests across the continent that will exceed 27 million tons by 2017, a two-percent jump from  2015/2016,an indicator of gradual strides towards rice independence in the continent.

(This article has been produced thanks to China-Africa reporting Grant)

 

Africa’s Great Green Wall project designed to plant trees to stop the advancement of the Sahara Desert, now presents the tremendous potential to curb climate-induced migration, unemployment, and growing insecurity from the Boko Haram terrorist group in particular among the youths and vulnerable communities, experts have said.

The Pan-African project that began five years ago has now evolved to a practical slate of activities that is improving the livelihood of the poor, building resilience in herders and farmers’ communities as climate change continue to threaten.

"The program has moved from just forest to tackle land degradation to other sustainable development challenges like land and water management, climate change, insecurity, job creation particularly for youths with many more countries embracing the initiative,” says Elvis Paul Tangem, African Union Commissioner in charge of the project.

"The initiative now combines sustainable land and water management programs, agroforestry and tree planting, agriculture development and the fight against climate change,” Tangem said in an interview at the African Forest Forum September 30, 2016, in Lome-Togo.

“Though sustainable development activities are counted amongst the innovations fronting the successes of the program, the continental political engagement and vision in agreeing for a harmonized approach to the execution of the different country and regional actions is cardinal,” he explained.
Forest experts say the initiative is the largest environmental and development program undertaken currently in the continent, with more countries and regions embracing it after seeing the impacts and results achieved.

"Many more countries are embracing the initiative now than when it started because of the development successes registered,” says Dr. Tieguhong Julius Chupezi, forest researcher and consultant with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and African Forest Forum.

"The initiative has provided the platform and framework were countries, development partners, and practitioners, researchers and all stakeholders concerned with land degradation, desertification and drought can come together and work with a shared vision,” Tieguhong said.

"The Great Green Wall initiative is increasingly seen as having the potential to tackle migration and insecurity issues that have continued to swell in many countries in the continent,” he said.

Over 21 countries are now involved in several projects and activities in support of the initiative from which runs from the circum-Sahara area to the Horn of Africa, according to African Union officials. These include Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Gambia, and Somalia, Togo, and Ghana.
 
However, Senegal, Mauritania, Chad, Niger, Ethiopia, and Nigeria are blazing the trail, epitomizing great examples with the development of market gardens that grow food and fruit trees for animals in the dry season, providing job opportunities for youths and thus curbing climate induce migration, said Tangem.
Senegal has so far planted over 12 million trees stretching 150 kilometers and covering 40,000 hectares of land.

Tangem says the Senegalese government intends to extend tree planting to about 545 kilometers covering 800,000 acres in the next few years.
In Burkina Faso and Senegal, reintroducing animal feed and fruit trees for herders, vegetable market gardening, and eco-tourism is providing job opportunities for many young people and thus helping hitherto migratory population to stay in their communities.

(Insert MAP of Africa’s Great Green Wall project stretching from Mauritania to the West to Djibouti to the East. Its available on the net)
Improved farming and agricultural activities undertaken within the framework of the Great Green Wall project has resulted in job opportunities, empowerment of rural farmers and improvement of the livelihood of local communities in eleven states in the Northeast and Northwest of Nigeria. These states include Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Katsina, Adamawa and Zamfara.

The African Union also argues that the project is helping in the fight against rising insecurity with at least 5000 youths who might have probably joined the Boko Haram terrorist group, now employed as firefighting brigades and part of the Great Green Wall forest guards, eco-tourism agents and women growing and selling vegetables.

Statistics from Global Mechanism, an International NGO shows that:
Ethiopia has 15 million hectares of degraded land restored and important land tenure security improved;
Senegal has planted 11.4 million trees and 25.000 hectares of degraded land restored;
Nigeria has seen 5 million ha of degraded land restored with over 20.000 jobs created;
Sudan has restored 2.000 ha of land restored.

Climate resistant trees and of multiple economic values are the ones planted in many of these countries.

"The trees are mostly the acacia species that survive harsh climatic conditions and bring economic value since they produce gum Arabic, a product that used in food additives and products including pharmaceuticals and soft drinks, for which demand is currently outstripping supply. The trees also produce fruits, for which a new market has emerged and gained economic activity for women,” Tangem said.

Land degradation, desertification, droughts and climate change impact many many communities across the continent, experts say. Forest, these experts argue is central to the solution.

"The Great Green Wall is now becoming a real Pan African flagship program,” says Godwin Kowero Executive Secretary of the African Forest Forum.
The project intends to restore 50 million hectares of land, provide food security for over 20 million people, create thousands of jobs, and sequesters 250 million tons of carbon, according to African Union officials.

The African Union says financial support for the project is growing with most of the funding coming from national budgets.  However development partners like the World Bank, EU, GEF fund, FAO, UNCCD, UNEP, GIZ, and other bilateral and multilateral Partners too are financing the project.

  For the Partners, FAO and EU have been the most consistent, Global Mechanism of UNCCD, GEF, World Bank being the highest funders. Currently the World Bank is investing USD 1.1 billion within the framework of the Sahel and West Africa Programme (SAWAP/ BRICKS) in 12 Member states, African Union officials said.

The pollutants include manmade chemicals used in fridges and air conditioners, and have an impact on depletion of the Ozone Layer.

Christian Aid, among other nongovernmental organisations have called on delegates at the ongoing 28th Meeting of Parties (MOP-28) to the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer to ambitiously set up a date when the world should stop using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

HFCs are manmade chemical gases used mainly in refrigerators, air conditioners across the world, created to replace CFCs in 1990. However, science has found out that these gases are thousands times more lethal to the climate than Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) as a greenhouse gas and their use is increasing at 10-15% a year.

Greenhouse gases are important compounds that are able to trap heat in the atmosphere, hence, giving the earth warmth that sustains life. But overproduction of these gases has led to over warming of the earth surface, leading to serious changes in climatic conditions, a condition that is already having devastating impacts on livelihoods.

Gaby Drinkwater, a Senior Policy Officer for Christian Aid told delegates at the talks in Kigali, Rwanda that it is in everyone’s interests to phase out HFCs as soon as possible.

 “HFCs were created to replace HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons), which in turn replaced CFCs, after it was discovered that the gases were putting a hole in the ozone layer.  “But we didn’t realise that in HFCs we had created another thing that is even more devastating than Carbon dioxide,” said Drinkwater.

However, said Drinkwater,the good news is “we’ve already created their benign replacements, which are also more energy efficient. We now need to start using them, in conjunction with controlling the destruction of existing HFCs in a safe way,” she said.

With the growing population and the changing climatic conditions, people in developing countries seek more air conditioners and refrigerators, which has led to heavy expansion of HFCs, and could deal a significant blow to the ambition of the Paris Agreement.

The ongoing negotiations in Kigali are focusing on agreeing an ambitious and equitable HFC amendment proposal, including the date when the HFCs must be phased-out. Most of the developed countries are pushing for a date closer to 2031 while a majority of the developing countries want a much more ambitious timeline in the early 2020s.  

Good news is that richer countries have already provided funds to help developing countries make the transition and leap-frog to the safer alternatives, with philanthropists adding another $53m to the pot to aid this process just a month ago.

Ms Drinkwater said countries had nothing to fear from a rapid phasedown: “By leapfrogging polluting HFCs, developing countries can cut their energy use, reduce their climate impact, ensure they deliver on their Paris Agreement pledges and benefit from financial support towards equipment upgrades.”

“The combination of removing HFCs and the energy efficiency savings of new technology could see global temperatures reduced by a full degree centigrade by the end of the century.”
She said.

Tina Birmpili, the Executive Secretary, Ozone Secretariat, stated that projected increases in demand for cooling mean that, by mid-century, more energy will be used on cooling than on heating. She underlined how this trend makes reaching an agreement on an HFC phasedown, combined with efforts to improve energy efficiency, as crucial to mitigating climate change.

Some 244 farmers from Bangema local forest community in the Southwest region of Cameroon have taken court action against SG Sustainable Oils Cameroon PLC (SGSOC), a palm oil developer in Cameroon, reports Greenpeace Africa. The farmers say their communities have been affected by the large-scale palm oil plantation projects developed by the international agro-industry, calling on the Court of First Instance in Bangem, Southwest Cameroon, to render justice. 

Hearing on the matter has been set for 9 November, reports Greenpeace Africa.

Greenpeace Africa is among the many civil society organizations fighting against land rights and forest conservation abuse in local communities in Cameroon and other parts in Africa . They have in this light championed campaigns to stop SGSOC from developing palm trees in the ecologically sensitive region of the Southwest region of Cameroon.

In a press release of 4th October, 2016,Green Peace says two collective complaints involving 244 farmers were filed against SG Sustainable Oils Cameroon (SGSOC) on 27 September for trespass to land. 231 of these farmers from the village of Nguti, are demanding that SGSOC  respect a 5km buffer zone around their farmlands. However, the concession area demarcated by SGSOC encroaches on many farms in the forest areas around Nguti, showing no respect for the buffer zone, says Greenpeace.

“How are we going to live if SGSOC takes our farms? How are we going to eat? I have no other means. I don’t want money, because who knows for how many years it will last? It won’t help my children and grandchildren, but my farm will, as I have crops every year,” said Susan Tah Agbo, who takes care of 24 people thanks to her 20 hectares (49 acres) of farmland.

In Babensi II, 13 farmers also went to court as their lands have been seized by SGSOC, without any consultation or prior agreement, writes Greenpeace Africa. “One day, I came to my farm, and I found that they had bulldozed everything. I knew I was going to develop this place to earn my living and when I die, my children will remain there, but today, I have no place. We are all crying here, and we don’t know how we can be rescued”, said Adolf Ngbe Ebong, a 62-year-old retired policeman.

SGSOC, the Cameroonian company which holds a concession of approximately 20,000 hectares for palm oil plantation development, was owned by the US-based company Herakles Farms until 2015. Since 2009, when the company settled in Cameroon, Greenpeace Africa and national and international NGOs have released numerous documents based on investigations into the many misdeeds of SGSOC.

“SGSOC activities are tainted with illegalities. Not only does their establishment convention with the Cameroonian government violate the law, but they also cleared the forest without a permit, intimidated several traditional chiefs and used bribery and promises which are yet to be realized to obtain local authorities’ favors”, said Sylvie Djacbou Deugoue, Greenpeace Africa forest campaigner.

The provisional land lease granted via a presidential decree in November 2013 to SGSOC expires this November. A coalition of several NGOs, of which Greenpeace is a part, today launched a petition in Cameroon and internationally, to ask the Cameroonian government not to extend or to renew it.

“SGSOC violated the law many times and didn’t fulfill the numerous promises they made to the communities, such as the building of roads and schools, so one can’t think how they could improve. Cameroon needs development, but always while protecting local communities and the significant biodiversity that surrounds them. SGSOC is a destructive project, located in between four protected areas, so it must end,” added Sylvie Djacbou Deugoue.

The project site is located in the Guinean forest of West Africa Biodiversity Hotspot, which shelters 1,800 endemic species of vascular plants and an extraordinary diversity of the world’s top species priorities for primate conservation.