Since September 2025, SAILD, IRAD, and producers from the SCOOPMAN cooperative in Mbalmayo have been conducting experiments in agroecological practices on smallholder farms in Mbalmayo and Nkolbisson in central Cameroon. With this in mind, they visited these test plots on November 14 and 17.
The Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD) and the Agricultural Research Institute for Development (IRAD) aim to promote effective agroecological practices adapted to crop production and soil fertility restoration in rural areas. This is part of the project “Scaling up agroecological practices in rural areas of Cameroon through experimentation in farmers’ fields.” To ensure a participatory approach to experimentation, a number of local producers have been involved in the various activities (site selection, land preparation, fertilizer preparation and application, agronomic data collection, crop maintenance, etc.).
The towns of Mbalmayo and Nkolbisson in the Central Region were chosen to host the project’s experimental sites. Each site covers an area of approximately 200 square meters and is mainly used for growing corn. “We are using the CMS 9015 variety of maize, on which we are experimenting with several natural fertilization methods. Maize was chosen because of its socio-economic importance in this region, its short cycle, and its tolerance to drought and disease. The two agroecological practices implemented on these micro-plots are: crop association (in this case, corn and peanuts) and the application of organic fertilizer (in this case, manure and biochar),” says Irénée Modeste Bidima of SAILD.
The results are gradually taking shape.
On November 14 and 17, 2025, stakeholders visited the sites to monitor the experimental plots. The aim was to record the parameters of the corn crop. “This visit involves measuring the height of the corn plants in the three central rows. In a group of two plants, it is the taller stalk that is evaluated. A small string is then tied to its base so that it is not confused with the other stalk when the next measurements are taken, in order to assess the effect of the different treatments administered in the field. This also makes it possible to assess the effect of the kinetics of nutrient release in the fertilizers used during the crop cycle,” explained Dr. David Basga of IRAD. According to him, initial observations at this stage of development show that the experimental plots are progressing well overall.
The producers of the Cassava Producers Cooperative (SCOOPMAN), led by their coordinator Alvine Ngo Minyem, were stunned by the initial mid-term findings: “We have noticed that the plots that received chicken manure are performing better, followed by the plots that received biochar, and finally the corn-peanut combination plots. Meanwhile, the control blocks that received no fertilization at the outset are performing less well,” they said.
The experiments will continue for two weeks, until the corn is harvested, with an assessment of the biomass produced by each block. This will be followed by the detailed results of this comparative study of different methods of natural fertilization on corn.
- Sharon Maché
