Farmers conducted their own field trials and collected data to evaluate promising vegetable lines.
The South Region of Cameroon suffers from low vegetable productivity due to the lack of good quality seed of improved varieties with better resistance to pests and diseases. Farmers also lack appropriate information on how to produce vegetables in their localities. Most of the region’s vegetables, including tomato, nightshade, and cabbage, come from Cameroon’s Northwest and West regions.
To improve capacity for technology delivery, dissemination and training for the development of vegetable production in the country’s South and Central regions, AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center established a collaborative partnership with the Center for Assistance to Sustainable Development (CASD). This nonprofit organization has been promoting sustainable agriculture to increasing incomes and economic productivity of rural farmers in Cameroon since 2008. From 2008 to 2012, AVRDC provided improved germplasm of standard (tomato and pepper) and indigenous (okra, eggplant, nightshade, jute mallow and amaranth) vegetables for CASD to conduct 11 participatory field trials in Ebolowa, the capital of the South Region. Farmers were trained in vegetable production and were involved in trial observation, data collection and promising variety selection based on disease tolerance, high yield, taste, and market value.
After selecting promising varieties, CASD multiplied seed and worked with farmers to set up five demonstration plots in Ebolowa and Widikum. The NGO distributed 27 kg of seed in the region, including four tomato lines (AVTO9604, AVTO9601, AVTO9605, AVTO0201), four eggplant lines (AB2, Tengeru white, Heart shape, UGAE7), five nightshade lines (BG14, MV25, BFSAM, SS52, BG25), three pepper lines (Hot habanero, PBC297, Red BFS) and one okra line (PI496946).
In early 2013, CASD and AVRDC visited the farmers to evaluate the impact of the activities on vegetable production. With seed of high-yielding, disease-resistant tomato distributed by CASD, farmer Nkitisang Fred is producing good quality tomatoes for market. “My customers like my tomatoes very much and my income has increased,” said Mr. Fred. From the sale of tomatoes, he was able to acquire a piece of land on which he plans to build his own house in the next two years. After attending the vegetable production training, Agwbawan Chalote can now grow vegetables with ease. She appreciated receiving good seeds of nightshade, amaranth and eggplant. “My income increased after planting these three vegetables,” said Mrs. Chalote. “I can now pay the school fees for my children and the hospital bills, and help my husband to solve some minor problems in the family.” Mamadou Awa and her husband’s other wife raised six children together. They grew vegetables, but yields were poor. During the vegetable production training, the two women learned good crop management skills and enlarged their farm size. Vegetable crops are now their main income source. “We were able to build a good house, send our children to school and improve our livelihood,” said Mrs. Awa.
Farmers will always be challenged by pest and disease problems, poor soil fertility, and access to irrigation and good quality seed. Ongoing partnerships like that between AVRDC and CASD can help farmers find solutions through participatory approaches.
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Feedback from the Field #17
