Avocado, mango, mandarin, bitter cola, oil palm, and mango are among the fruit and forest tree seedlings that have been transplanted onto farms in Mansa, Hona, and Kombo-Cassi in the Belabo district of Eastern Cameroon. The initiative, led by SAILD, took place from April 27 to May 5, 2026.
The clock reads 9 a.m. on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Kombo-Cassi. Village life goes on as usual until the arrival of the technical team from the Local Development Initiatives Support Service (SAILD). The residents, having been summoned, begin to arrive in small groups. The most savvy among them are equipped with the agricultural kits distributed during previous missions. Protective boots, gloves, and planting tools are now the new tools of these former hunters. Alfred Ahila is one of the beneficiaries in this village. “Before, I lived mainly off hunting,” he says. His face glistening in the gentle sunlight, he marches like a soldier toward his plantation, located more than 5 km from the village chiefdom. He leads the SAILD team there with a load he describes as precious. “I received more than 50 seedlings of cacao, safou, mandarin, avocado, and oil palm trees to plant in my fields,” he explains.
Agroforestry provides a retirement income
The 38-year-old farmer is the father of eight children, whom he supports. He owns more than two hectares of land, which he uses to grow produce for the food service industry. “With the ban on activities in the park, I was desperate. Thanks to the SAILD initiative, I learned about agroecology and agroforestry. Today, I have fields of plantains, macabo, cassava, and cacao that allow me to provide for my family. Plus, the support I received in the form of tree seedlings will let me restore the ecosystem in my fields for better yields,” he acknowledges. “Even in my old age, the fruit from these trees will allow me to make a living. I could tell my children or grandchildren to go pick them to sell,” he concludes enthusiastically.
The villages of Hona and Mansa are located a few kilometers from Kambo-Cassi. The three communities in the Belabo district, which border Deng Deng National Park (PNDD), are all targeted by the project. A variety of fruit and forest tree seedlings has been distributed to the communities to restore the forest cover degraded by human activity. About a hundred households in the three villages received tree seedlings from SAILD. Madeleine Mbé is an orphan in Mansa. Her commitment to sustainable agriculture and her role as president of the village’s young women’s group make her a role model for the communities. “My parents left us 10 hectares of land that we’ve been working since their passing. School wasn’t for me, so I chose to focus on farming instead. Before the project came along, I thought we absolutely had to cut down trees to make room for fields. But I’ve come to understand that we should be planting instead. I’m proud to combine fruit trees with the crops I grow in my fields. I’ve learned how to set up tree nurseries, plant the trees, and monitor them after planting. I urge my brothers to get into farming and try agroforestry,” she says with determination.
A catalyst for recovery
For this initiative, the organization dispatched Aristide Tchounkeu, an agricultural engineer and project manager, and Jerry Atontsa, a water and forestry engineer and forestry assistant. Over the course of about ten days, these field workers helped local communities plant fruit and forest tree seedlings on each of their farms. The initiative, part of the “Participatory Restoration of the PNDD Forest Landscape” project and funded by the German development agency GIZ, began several months ago. It included training beneficiaries in nursery seedling production techniques and establishing three village nurseries across the three localities. Agroforestry is thus emerging as one of the key drivers for the restoration of degraded forest landscapes in the Belabo district.
- Sharon Maché
