The Binguela Practicing Farming School (EPAB) in Mefou and Akono Division of the Centre Region is under mutation and hopes to rise above the obstacles that have kept it in hibernation for decades. Since sounding a wake up bell in 2006, through the rehabilitation of the institution’s structures, real work in and off the classroom began in 2010. It is expected to receive a boost soon given international interest in the school and by extension, the country’s agricultural sector.

Agro-pastoral experts from Tunisia visited the school mid 2011 while those from Israel and Brazil are already actively present on the field. Currently, agro-pastoral stakeholders in Cameroon are benefiting from Israeli expertise in a 10-day capacity building workshop at the EPAB premises in Binguela. The training workshop, described by the Director of EPAB, Michel Abega, as well adapted, is grouping agro-pastoral engineers from concerned government ministries to update their skills on modern techniques of poultry farming According to one of the two Israeli experts, the poultry industry in Israel is well advanced and technology transfer from their country to Cameroon will greatly boost the poultry industry here. “With this, farmers can earn more money and the country will earn new business,” Ilan Arye told the press during the inaugural lesson of the workshop.

According to EPAB Director, the ongoing activities between the school and international giants in agro-pastoral production in the likes of Brazil and Israel signal a veritable renaissance of the school. “The course is arming the participants with the tools to improve and develop agricultural activities in our country, notably in chicken production,” he said. “We have moved from theory to practice on the field”, he added. Given the country’s high potential in chicken production, coupled with international cooperation, Mr. Abega hopes the country could modernise and improve its chicken production and diversify its sources of food and income. The Israeli Embassy also donated an irrigation kit to EPAB.

Meanwhile, Brazil is coming in to share its experiences with Cameroon for the mutual benefit of the two countries. Speaking at the Binguela centre Tuesday September 13 during a partnership agreement signing ceremony between Brazil’s Federal Institute of Technology Education and EPAB, the institute’s Rector, Prof. Sebastien Edson Moura, said its cooperation with EPAB will be based on exchange of technology and training of young farmers both in Cameroon and Brazil.

Thanks to the renewed cooperation, the school is eying chicken production in an industrial scale, by 2035. “We will hence be processing our production. Every two weeks, we produce 10,000 chicks for the local market and hope to increase significantly with this training and support from our partners,” Mr Abega said. EPAB will in 2012 introduce a special training module for people soon to go on retirement so as to prepare them for a sustainable agricultural production off active public service.