Urgency of a planned strategy against climate change in the North Cameroon

The Far North Cameroon has three regions with the Adamawa , North and Far North . These

three regions together account for about 40% of the total Cameroonian population. This part

of Cameroon belongs to the sudano-sahelian agro-ecological zone. According to some

cameroonians climatologists, it is one of high climatic risk areas in Cameroon.

The Region experienced a drought of unprecedented intensity in 2009 and 2011, then

regularly floods of extreme violence for some time. We could cited floods in 2010 and

recently that of 2014. The floods of 2014 have affected about 60 000 people and had cost

about 1.5 billion Fca to the Government. According to scientists, climate change that is

presently in African Sudano-Sahelian agro-ecological zone goes around the decade 1970-

1980 , marked by a significant drop in rainfall and increased evaporation ( Folefack et al ,

2012). However, the effects have begun to be felt in the area of cameroon around 1985.

Climate change that prevails in the far north Cameroon is a serious threat to food security and

the economy of the region. The continuing decline in rainfall and flooding consequences will

reduce already inadequate agricultural production to cover food needs of the area. Lower

productivity in ecosystems of the region will have a strong negative impact on cattle bredding

and finally on the contribution of this sector to the growth of the gross domestic product of

Cameroon , in fact, the North is the main area for livestoock in Cameroon . On the health

front frequent floods will promote proliferation and the resurgence of some diseases and

epidemics such as cholera, and malaria.

For now the government's response consisted of actions to mitigate the impact felt by the

affected people at the onset of a new flood. These populations thus receive various gifts of

food, basic necessities , blankets, sanitary products, various agricultural machinery to be

enable them to resume their activities , or to better withstand the negative effects of the

disaster.

We believe it is urgent for the Government to consider that the current events taking place in

the far north of Cameroon register as the consequences of climate change which the world is

currently facing. It seems that it is more urgent to develop and to implement to the far north

Cameroon region a strategy against climate change. The goal is to get a framework that

captures the issue of climate change in the Sudano-Sahelian region of Cameroon globally , to

consider actions more effective and efficient, unlike stocks piecemeal and to which the

government currently uses .

This strategic framework will among others consider the mitigation and adaptation or the

following :

-the Promotion of the development of biogas from cow dung by biodigesters . This objective

would be to reduce the pressure of population on the trees in the area for cooking meals and

promote recovery and development of forest ecosystems , and simultaneously enhance the

infiltration through the groundwater level ;

-The Valuation of wet biodigestat (bioslurry) that comes out from biodigesters in agriculture.

The biodigestat(bioslurry) is rich in organic matter and with advanced mineralization is richer

than cow dung . Its use as organic and mineral fertilizers would be very beneficial to the soils

of the region and would enhance the resilience of soils in the far north Cameroon to the

adverse effects of climate change on the soils of the region ;

-The Construction by the communities in the area of modern agricultural barns on suitable

sites in order to enable farmers to have available storage locations and appropriate

conservation of their crops to better face the challenges of food security in case of disaster ;

-The Implementation of the ambitious government programs greening of the Region. These

programs should involve every household, and local communities ;

-The Government should also take measures to popularize in the region also proven

techniques for improving water infiltration into cropland.

By Bertin TEUPA LACHIO