Cameroon's NAP

Food System Overview

Cameroon's economy relies heavily on agriculture, with approximately 70% of its population engaged in this sector.[i] Moreover, agriculture contributes significantly to the country's GDP, accounting for an estimated 80% of the primary sector's contribution.[ii] Meanwhile, the food system especially smallholder farmers are increasingly challenged by the uncertainty and variability of weather caused by climate change as crops are predominantly rainfed and yields are highly depend on water availability from precipitation.[iii] Women are more severely impacted by climate change because they account for 75% of workers in the informal agricultural sector and are primarily responsible for the welfare of their households and food security.[iv]

NAP Development

The development of Cameroon’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) was led by the Ministry of Environment, Protection of Nature, and Sustainable Development, supported by Japan’s Cool Earth Partnership Initiative, the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP), the German Cooperation (GIZ), and the Global Water Partnership-Cameroon.  The process involved extensive stakeholder consultations between 2012 and 2015. More than 625 people participated in regional consultations including relevant ministries; universities and research institutes on agroecology; local municipalities; traditional chiefs; development sector; civil society organisations such as associations, unions, or cooperatives; parliamentarians; private sector; and the media. In addition, a multidisciplinary group of experts on the environment, climate change, human sciences, public health, geography, demography, and water resource management contributed to developing the NAP.

Food System Measures

Cameroon’s NAP outlines several measures related to food systems. These include initiatives such as promoting irrigation and collaborative water management, particularly in lowlands and watersheds, implementing water conservation techniques to extend agricultural seasons, improving traditional techniques for processing, and storing fish, establishing a national climate alert system for drought and flood management, supporting research on climate-adapted crop varieties and diseases, and developing plans to assist vulnerable groups during disasters. Additionally, there is a focus on strengthening local mechanisms for securing land use and ownership rights for various stakeholder groups, including Indigenous peoples and rural women.

NAP Implementation

In the context of implementing its NAP, Cameroon's plan involves various key measures. These include educating government officials and managers on the impact of climate change on vulnerable groups, increasing awareness and building the resilience of these communities to respond to disasters. The plan also focuses on creating specific support systems for indigenous peoples during disasters, improving the country's ability to anticipate climate-related catastrophes and their implications for internal migration and security. Moreover, it emphasises strengthening local systems for land use and ownership rights, establishing consultative platforms to advocate for community rights, ensuring secure land access and tenure, and conducting annual monitoring of implementation progress through the Sub-Directorate of Ecological Monitoring and Climate. The assessment of these actions will be made public, with the involvement of the National Observatory on Climate Change (ONACC) once operational.

Sources

[i] WWF. (n.d.). WWF Cameroon strategic vision on food and agriculture. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://cameroon.panda.org/our_work/food_and_agriculture/.

[ii] WWF. (n.d.).

[iii] German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Tomalka, J., Lange, S., Gleixner, S., & Gornott, C. (n.d.). Climate Risk Profile: Cameroon. Retrieved from https://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/institute/departments/climate-resilience/projects/project-pages/agrica/giz_climate-risk-profile_cameroon_en_final_2022_21_07.

[iv] World Bank. (n.d.). Towards a People-Centered Green and Resilient Cameroon. World Bank. Retrieved November 21, 2023, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2022/11/04/towards-a-people-centered-green-and-resilient-cameroon.