Assessment of Grazing Characteristics and Effects on Livelihoods of Food Crop Farmers in Bui and Donga Mantung, North West Cameroon

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Assessment of Grazing Characteristics and Effects on Livelihoods of Food Crop Farmers in Bui and Donga Mantung, North West Cameroon

James Kinsam Shuweh¹, Christopher Mubeteneh Tankou², Nobert Tohnain Lengha¹, Augustine Toh Gam^3*
1Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, University of Dschang, Cameroon
²Department of crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Science of Agronomy, University of Dschang, Cameroon
³Department of Geography & Planning, Faculty of Arts, University of Bamenda, Cameroon
*Corresponding author

Abstract:- Livestock and crop production are livelihood complementary activities carried out in the grassfield areas of the rural Cameroon. Empirical studies have proven that these two activities have never been in harmony. This along side the grazing systems has had great reparcussions on farm parcels and crop yields. Preliminary field visits, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with both graziers and crop farmers along side the administration of 300 semi-structured questionnaires were employed in order to obtain the required data. The results revealed that about 91.6% of the respondents practices extensive grazing system while about 89.7% of crop farmers practice permanent cultivation. Consequently, 88.4% have been victims of crop distruction and with 36.8% with frequency of between 6-10 times. The study also found that crop destruction by cattle has been on the increase as cattle population keeps increasing with increase scarcity in grazing land and fodder. Retreat on farm parcel and a subsequent reduction on household income are the immediate aftermath. However, there is a tendency of reconciliation as graziers have started becoming cautious about the existence of both activities through the formation of alliance farming.

Key words: Bui and Donga Mantung, Grazing systems, Farming systems, Food crop Farmers

I. INTRODUCTION

Globally, Twenty-six per cent of the planet ice free land is use for grazing and thirty-three per cent of croplands are use for livestock feed production.To this, one billion poor people, mostly pastoralists depend on livestock for food and livelihoods [1]. This livestock rearing accounts for 40% of worldwide income from agriculture and the demand today still remain up surge at the detriment of crop land and water[2]. Albeit, this livestock are grazed by over 200 to 500 million people worldwide [3], land competition have remain an issue of major concern and a cause of conflict. This seen especially between pastoral minorities and crop farmers, between pastoralist and nature conservationist as well as the unfair and incomplete implementation of regulations and the increasing shift of pastoral lifestyle to crop farming. Population growth and rising demand for food crops and cash crops have only come to exacerbate the loss of grazing lands [4].

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