Adopting effective strategies to cope with land degradation in Cameroon

Asheri Yayu Mbuyeh Nathalie

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Land degradation is recognized as a major issue in developing countries such as Cameroon, but yet there is still a lack of information on the smallholder farmers' perception on land degradation. The objectives of this study were to examine farmers’ perception of the causes and indicators of land degradation and to analyze factors which influence their perception of land degradation in Tiko municipality, Cameroon. The data was collected using focus group discussion and semi-structured questionnaires with 122 respondents. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and binary logistics regression. The result of this study showed that 89.3% of the farmers were aware of the problem of land degradation on their farms. A significant number of the farmers identified water erosion (50.8%) and low soil nutrients (44.3%) as very serious causes of land degradation on their farms, while wind erosion was the least identified. Most of the farmers identified lower yields (72.2%) and decreased vegetation (36.9%) as the main indicators of land degradation. The binary logistic regression model results indicated that the total household members and lower yields showed the highest likelihood of a farmer perceiving land degradation. However, only wind erosion had a probability of influencing how farmers perceive land degradation. Therefore, attention should be given to such factors to understand better site-specific perceptions and how land management practices can be implemented.

Keywords

Land degradation, Cameroon, Perception, Smallholder farmers

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 15. 5. 2020

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: doc. Ing. Miroslava Bavorová, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / field:
Tropical Agriculture / Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics