A meeting to relaunch activities promoting agroecology was held between the two institutions on July 22, 2025, at the SAILD General Secretary’s office in the Elig-Essono district of Yaounde.
The objectives of this meeting were to establish and understand the process of experimenting with agroecological practices in rural areas, based on the scientific rural research strategy. The meeting was attended by around ten people, including representatives from the Agricultural Research Institute for Development in Cameroon (IRAD) and staff members from the Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD).
This consultation meeting initiated by SAILD gave participants an overview of the implementation of this project, which aims to conduct participatory research with farmers in the field. Following interactive discussions, the area to be covered and the agroecological practices to be tested in Champs-école-Paysan were identified.
“We have two forest areas: the monomodal forest area consisting of the coastal and southwestern regions, and the bimodal area (central-southeastern region). Based on climatic conditions, we chose Mbalmayo in the central region as the site for implementing the project. We also focused on the criterion of proximity. This location is not far from Yaoundé, which will allow us to easily stay in contact with the producers we will be working with,” said IRAD Deputy Director Dr. Francis Ngome.
Demonstrating the effectiveness of agroecology
In the same vein, Rodrigue Kouang, Head of the Agroecology Program at SAILD, added. “As agroecological practices to be tested, we have chosen production systems for certain short-cycle crops such as corn and the manufacture of biofertilizers or biopesticides. We believe that raising awareness among farmers about the importance of agroecology must also be emphasized, which requires extensive communication about the actions being taken,” he explained.
This field research project aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of agroecology as an innovative approach to reducing poverty, protecting biodiversity, increasing farmers’ access to markets and income, protecting soils and the environment, and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. It is a continuation of the collaboration between SAILD and IRAD which have been working together for more than three years to promote agroecology in Cameroon.
- Didier Mboua
