From December 3 to 12, 2025, the populations of the villages of Hona, Mansa, and Kombocassi in the East Cameroon region benefited from the support of the NGO SAILD for the technical monitoring of their agroecological farms.
The Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD) spent 10 days with the beneficiaries of the “Participatory restoration of the forest landscape of Deng Deng National Park” project. The aim was to provide technical support for agroecological production activities and tree seedling production in nurseries in the villages of Kambo-cassi, Hona, and Mansa in the Belabo district of eastern Cameroon.
Visits to each beneficiary’s agroecological farms made it possible to assess the effectiveness of the agroecological techniques applied in the fields. According to Aristide Tchounkeu, Head of Mission, the adoption of agroecological practices is gradual in the three beneficiary villages. “The harvests obtained show a significant improvement in production techniques. Despite low rates of use of inputs such as bio-insecticides and biofertilizers, there has been widespread adoption of crop combinations, particularly with corn, beans, peanuts, and cassava. For example, of the 90 households that each received 2 kg of bean seeds, 80% sowed them. At harvest time, each beneficiary obtained an average of 15 kg of beans,” he said.
More committed beneficiaries
The generally satisfactory harvests, particularly for beans, corn, and cassava, are greatly appreciated by households. Thérèse Adawa, a producer from the village of Hona, was delighted: “We planted beans for the first time and we are happy. The leaves on my beans started to turn yellow, so I sprayed them with Tithonia-based biofertilizer, and after a week, they turned green again. Today, we eat beans, whereas a few months ago they were a luxury. Next season, we will grow beans on a larger area. The cassava plants are growing very well in the fields. We are already harvesting the leaves to prepare meals,” she says.
This mission was also an opportunity to monitor the progress of forest and fruit tree nurseries. “In the villages, we found that the nurseries were in an advanced state of disrepair. Faced with this situation, we organized ourselves into small groups to rehabilitate them,” said Jerry Atontsa, a member of the project team. In addition, producers were given the opportunity to participate in working sessions and direct exchanges during which they received practical advice on agroecology and solutions to the difficulties they face, particularly in protecting fields from bush fires and managing land sustainably without depleting the soil.
Given the positive results, many producers are now convinced of the effectiveness of inputs made from Tithonia leaves and chili pepper manure to fertilize the soil and combat armyworms. They also express their satisfaction with agroforestry, which will restore degraded forest cover in villages and contribute to household food security. They hope that SAILD will continue and strengthen the actions it has undertaken, including the introduction of other agroecological techniques adapted to different crops.
- Sharon Maché
