The first heavy rains of the season have triggered a familiar movement across the North West Region as farmers returned to their farms early Monday morning to begin planting, emphasising the central role agriculture continues to play in the region’s survival and recovery.
Across several communities, narrow footpaths leading to farms were busy at dawn as men, women and children carried hoes, seeds and planting materials toward their farms, eager to take advantage of the moist soil left by Sunday’s downpour.
For many families, the rain marked the signal that the planting window had opened.
In Teken quarter in Nkwen village, Emerencia Nsai was already at work planting maize before mid morning. Bent over rows of freshly turned soil, she said the rain had come at the right time.
“I cannot wait again because the rain has come,” she said while dropping maize seeds into the ground. “The rain was heavy enough for planting.”
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She acknowledged that recent years have sometimes brought uncertainty to farmers, with rains arriving later than expected.
“Some years back the rains delayed, but this time I believe the rain has come,” she said, expressing cautious optimism about the new farming season.
Along a path leading toward Nkueng, Richard Nfor and his children were seen making their way to the family’s farmland carrying basic tools for the day’s work.
Like many parents in the region, he was accompanied by his children, partly because schools remain largely closed in several areas especially on Mondays due to the ongoing armed conflict in the region.
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The farming season therefore draws entire families into agricultural work.
Nfor, a teacher said even basic preparations for farming have become challenging.
“I am short of hoes and had to beg from those who are not going to the farm today,” he explained.
Finding spare tools proved difficult because many others were also heading out to their farms.
“It was difficult getting an extra hoe because almost everybody is going to the farm,” he said as the family continued along the narrow trail.
Despite these challenges, the rush to the fields reflects the deep dependence of communities on agriculture.
In the North West Region, farming remains the economic backbone of rural life. More than 80 percent of the rural population depends directly on agriculture for their livelihoods.
Farmers across its seven divisions cultivate a wide range of crops. Staple foods such as maize, beans, cassava, cocoyams and rice dominate local farms, while high value vegetables including tomatoes, cabbage, carrots and Irish potatoes thrive particularly in areas such as Santa and Jakiri.
The region is also the leading producer of Arabica coffee in Cameroon. Cooperatives such as the North West Cooperative Association NWCA Ltd support more than 35,000 coffee farmers, making the crop a major source of income for thousands of households.
Livestock production is equally significant. Cattle rearing remains a key activity among Fulani communities in divisions such as Bui, Boyo and Donga Mantung, while poultry and piggery projects supported by government and development programmes like MIDENO are gradually expanding among small scale farmers.
Yet the agricultural sector has also faced severe disruption in recent years.
Since 2017, the ongoing socio political crisis has forced many farmers to abandon farmlands in certain areas, reducing production and contributing to rising food prices in local markets. Farmer grazer conflicts over land use have also added pressure in some communities.
In response, several initiatives have been introduced to support farmers and restore productivity. Programmes such as the Emergency Project to Combat the Food Crisis in Cameroon have expanded access to seeds, fertilisers and equipment, while other initiatives are working to strengthen rice production in the Ndop Plain and promote modern farming practices.
For farmers like Lemnwie and Nfor, however, the immediate concern remains making the most of the current season.
With the rains beginning to fall and seeds going into the soil across hillsides and valleys, the region’s farmers are once again turning to the land in the hope that the months ahead will bring the harvests needed to feed their families and sustain their communities.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web
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