Fight against food insecurity: Over 900 Boyo farmers benefit from PULCCA project.

The farm inputs comprising fertilizers, cassava cuttings, fowl droppings, insecticides, plantain platelets, solanum potato seeds amongst others, were handed to the concerned farmers in Fundong.

This was during an event organised at the Divisional Delegation of Agriculture and Rural Development to launch the project in Boyo. It was chaired by the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, of Boyo, Saidou Moussa.

The PULCCA project coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, MINADER, has as implementing partners, the North West Development Authority, MIDENO; North West Livestock Development Fund, CDINO, and the World Food Programme, WFP.

Speaking during the event, Boyo SDO lauded government and especially the Head of State, President Paul Biya, for thinking about Boyo Division.

The administrator added that the gesture would help fight against food insecurity in the division which is the biggest supplier of solanum potatoes in the North West Region.

On his part, the Divisional Delegate for Agriculture and Rural Development for Boyo, Langsi Nuinchu Ivo, said the project is part of efforts to promote second-generation agriculture and import substitution policy as preached by the President of the Republic, Paul Biya.

The need to produce more

He said the launch of the project in Boyo, with the donation of farm inputs and ultra-modern power tillers to farmers, comes at a time the population of division is experiencing decrease access to major foodstuffs due to surge in prices and increase vulnerability to climate shocks. 

According to Langsi, climate change is reflected in the disruption of the onset and end dates of the rainy seasons, the decrease in rainfall amounts, the multiplication of extreme climate events-heavy rains, and violent winds, which are increasingly recurrent and catastrophic. 

He went on to disclose that in some production basins in the division, heavy precipitation damaged crops by eroding soil and depleting soil nutrients. 

The MINADER divisional delegate went on to add that the resurgence of plant diseases, the loss of biodiversity, the multiplication of conflicts over the management of natural resources, food insecurity, more pesticide exposure due to expanded pest presence is affecting production. 

According to the agriculture technician, a huge number of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, who fled the Division due to the armed conflict, have returned. 

This, he said, added to changing dietary habits, plummeting engagement of youths in agriculture, insufficient improved variety, limited access to irrigation, land preparation and modern storage facilities has put considerable pressure on food production system in Boyo division. 

He said they are ready to accompany the farmers in the activities and thus called on them to make good use of the inputs they have received.

“I have no doubt that the urgent response and rapid mitigation of the short-term impacts of food and nutrition insecurity would not only make Boyo Division a major bread basket and flamboyant, but also will enhance the economic, climate and community resilience,” Langsi said.

The beneficiary farmers expressed gratitude to government and promised to ensure the materials handed to them will be put to maximum use.

The PULCCA project, which targets 265,490 vulnerable individuals and farmers throughout Cameroon was created by a Presidential Decree in 2022. It is jointly funded by the World Bank and the government of Cameroon. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3218 of Tuesday September 03, 2024