Zac Tchoundjeu, Regional Director, West and Central Africa, World Agroforestry Centre.
How serious is Climate Change to agroforestry in Cameroon?
Any living tree is a resrvoir to absorb carbon. The more you plant trees, the better you mitigate the effects of Climate Change. Any country invloved in attenuation should absolutely encourage tree planting and cultivation. The farmer who is planting cocoa can get income from cocoa product but the carbon market is being developed gradually. I am sure within short period, people will come and evaluate the quantity of carbon sequestrated by plantations and the farmer will get access to the carbon market. The difference is clear. The thinking Yaounde is not the same like in the villages where we have trees. They are characterised by some peace (quietness) and some noise from birds and this is what we cannot have everywhere. This is what we refer to as the creation of macro climate with regular rain, soil protection and regular growth of crops. Areas without trees are dry and difficult for humans to resist.
What technology are you proposing to farmers?
We teach farmers how to multiply and plant vegetatively. Vegetative production is wealth creating. We do not want farmers to plant materials and spend almost 15 to 20 years only to regret it was a wrong choice. This is what we are avoiding with tree domestication. By so doing, farmers become entrepreneurs. Shifting cultivation is not part of our techniques but high value fruit trees in the cocoa farm. Fallow areas no longer witness the setting of fire as we seek to attenuate the effects of Climate Change on human beings.
What best practices do you recommend for Climate Change attenuating in the sector?
We encourage the planting of early fruiting material. Planting medicinal trees for use is also important. Another issue is that of integrating the management of crop and fruit cultivation. This is a more diversified system that absorbs more carbon and is more stable. We will better protect the Congo Basin forest system if we can pick up this system. This is because farmers have come to understand that principle of “no interest, no action. Planting improved material will change their livelihoods than listening to the sing song of climate change effects which they claim not to be directly affected. Floods and droughts might occur, but farmers will want to hear that diversifying agriculture will earn them more money before they feel engaged.
The Conference of parties comes up this December. What is the commitment you expect from parties to this international get-together?
I wish I could be there to present results and main achievements registered so far in the field of agroforesty and participatory tree domestication in Cameroon and the Sub-region carried out by the World Agroforestry Centre, the leading research centre. I will ask the 21st Conference of Parties on Climate Change to give more money to people working with the grassroots for the empowerment of local and rural population to protect their environment. I do not believe that environment could be protected by decree. It is when a farmer is aware of what he can get from an activity that he can really get involved. In the case of tree planting, it has always been challenging to convince those living in the forest to plant trees. This is because in their mind set, they believe that they need to clear to plant crops. Farmers we work with have accepted diversification because they have come to realise what tree improvement could do in their lives. It changes their lives and farmers have been testifying how they send students and children to school from tree domestication. Some have improved livelihoods from what they do and farmers will have better lives if we push this technology further by putting more money into it.
