FAO helps host communities and displaced people to feed themselves and meet their needs.
Bamadi, affectionately nicknamed “Barma” by those around him, has opened its doors to more than 200 families since 2014, when the crisis began in the far north region of Cameroon. Thousands of people have fled the violence perpetrated by armed groups in the Logone-et-Chari department and have been welcomed by communities, such as that of Barma in the Dor (Makary) district. Recent inter-ethnic clashes have aggravated the situation, already extremely difficult for years for hundreds of thousands of families, particularly in the Lake Chad basin.
Host communities share their already modest food, natural resources and basic social services, which has gradually weakened their resilience and disrupted production systems, livelihoods and social cohesion in the region.
Barma, for example, a father of 13 and a seasonal farmer, was already struggling to meet his family’s needs. But he knew he had to help in any way he could.
“We could not remain indifferent. These people have lost everything and have nothing to eat. I welcomed them, as well as other people in the neighborhood,” Barma explains. “I had to do something.” So far Barma and other members of the host community have hosted more of 30,000 displaced persons.
Stabilize and get back on your feet
With the financial support of the Peacebuilding Fund established by the Secretary General of the United Nations, FAO has launched a project relating to the stabilization and recovery of communities affected by security problems in Cameroon, in the Far North region, carried out in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the project strengthens the resilience of displaced persons, returnees and host communities in conditions of food insecurity in the department of Logone-et-Chari.
“FAO gave me three goats, two females and one male, to start breeding. I also received training in the management of small ruminants, ”says Barma. “I knew absolutely nothing about it because, before, I lived only on the earth”.
As part of this initiative, 245 families have received assistance to raise small ruminants in the localities of Makary and Kousseri, in the far north region. A total of 735 goats were provided, as well as bags of fodder, salt, vaccines and medicines for small ruminants. FAO also provided training on animal health monitoring and care in collaboration with local technical services.
Thanks to this project, several families improve their nutritional conditions by eating goat meat, which is rich in protein, but they also earn an income that allows them to meet their basic daily needs.
“Today, thanks to the support of FAO, my small farm has 15 goats and is one of six model farms in the Logone-et-Chari department. For me it is a source of pride because people from outside come to train with me, take advantage of my experience and take inspiration from the organization of my kennel ”, continues Barma.
More resilient populations thanks to horticulture
As part of the project, 134 members of the displaced and host community received 10 hectares of land to grow fruit and vegetables. They now grow onions, carrots, nightshade, tomatoes, cabbage, peppers and okra. The fields are irrigated every day thanks to the tubular well and the specially made solar pump. As this activity is new to some, FAO oversaw training on the use of this photovoltaic technology which was carried out in farmers’ field schools.
The crops are consumed directly by families or sold in local markets. Thanks to the proceeds from the sale of their horticultural products, the beneficiaries can buy food that they do not grow, and thus diversify and balance their diet.
“Since they cultivate these fields, families can feed themselves in a healthy and varied way. The production destined for sale is transported to local markets. This allows the beneficiaries to meet their basic needs thanks to the profits made, ”explains Léonard Djingui Souga, project manager at FAO.
Ali Mahamat, another community member involved in the FAO project, cut the firewood and sold it to private individuals. 62-year-old Ali took enormous risks to feed his family.
The cultivation of the fields is less demanding from a physical point of view. “FAO freed me from this difficult job by helping me become a farmer. Thanks to the proceeds from the sale of my onions, I can feed my family well, dress my children and take care of them when they are sick, ”explains Ali.
People displaced by violence and insecurity are in a vulnerable situation, as are their host communities. FAO works with partners to help those affected by violence, as well as their host communities, to be more financially self-sufficient and resilient.
to know more
Website: FAO Country Profile – Cameroon
Website: FAO in Cameroon
Website: FAO Emergency and Resilience Office
Publication: Operational paths to support peace in the context of the 2030 Agenda
Publication: Towards lasting solutions
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