Agriculture in Cameroon is the backbone of the Cameroonian economy and
employs more than 70% of its population. Cameroon produces both export
and food crops through government corporations like the Cameroon
Development Corporation (C.D.C) or by individuals who carryout peasant
agricultural production has been threatened by global changes in
climatic elements.
In Cameroon market gardening is practiced on the Western Highlands,
slopes of Mount Cameroon, Mungo depression, Benue depression and the
Foumbot plains. The practice involves the cultivation of perishable
crops such as green beans, carrots, lettuce, cucumber, cabbages,
spices and vegetables under ample precipitation conditions (AZIEH
EDWIN, 2013).
These products easily get bad when exposed to high temperature or
cultivated far from the market due to its fragile nature that is why
urban centers like Galim, Santa, Pinyin and Foumbot makes use of this
farming system.
Market gardening is a very important sector is Santa supporting
livelihood of the people in terms of income, employment and meeting up
with food needs of families. This sector also holds so much for the
future of the people.
Though with the much hope and reliance on the sector, evidently, there
are growing numbers of problems which are of concern to the success of
market gardening in the area. One of the major visible problems is the
drop in yields or out put though this could be accounted for by many
factors, it remains very prominent that the methods used in production
as well as investment in terms of inputs are still very primitive and
grossly inadequate.
The inability of the people to master and work with the climatic
parameters that change has been a major setback to market gardening
crop production in Santa. The variability, be it long term or shorter
is difficult to predict and cope with.
Again the availability water for irrigated farms has been a problem.
The few streams and watersheds whose water upwells the water needed by
plants are vast declining in quantity all due to unsustainable
land-uses. The declining water resource would further affect the
sector negatively. This is because due to the rapid soil depletion,
farmers have also resorted farming around catchment areas since market
gardening is a cherished activity and its practice demands much water.Ejoy the end product of market garden products in santa as you read.