A press conference in advance of the agroecology forum was held on November 13, 2024 at the headquarters of the Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD) in Yaoundé. Around twenty media representatives attended.
The aim of the meeting was to enable media representatives to gain a better understanding of the first forum on agroecology in the Congo Basin, scheduled for November 18-20. SAILD Secretary General Hozier NANA CHIMI, accompanied by Alain Rousseau, senior technical advisor to the German cooperation agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ AgSys), spoke to journalists about the benefits of agroecology and the reasons for organizing an agroecology forum.
According to Hozier NANA CHIMI, the foundations were laid in December 2023: “SAILD signed a collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) for the promotion of agroecology in Cameroon, demonstrating the commitment of the Cameroon government. This agreement has contributed to the organization of this regional forum on agroecology, now sponsored by MINADER. We also have several partners, including the German GIZ,” he emphasized.
Twenty or so countries expected
To date, the agroecology forum has attracted 200 selected participants out of nearly 600 registered, with some 20 countries expected to attend. Organized simultaneously with the agroecological and organic products fair on the esplanade of Boulevard du 20 mai in Yaoundé. The forum aims to showcase agropastoral products grown using agroecological practices. The fair currently boasts some fifty selected exhibitors.
The challenges facing the event were also discussed. “Through this forum, we hope to bring together national strategies on climate change, the environment and food systems, so that synergies can be established and all activities can contribute to healthy eating for all Cameroonians. This will make it possible to implement the import-substitution policy”, declared Alain Rousseau.
He ended his presentation with a recommendation: “Let’s produce what we eat, let’s produce it Cameroonian”. The SAILD SG took the opportunity to invite the media to join massively in popularizing agroecology in Cameroon and the Congo Basin. “Not everyone can be at the Forum, but we’re counting on you to keep everyone informed” was his closing sentence.
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