The North West Region has officially launched the 2026 farming season with a renewed strategy centred on strengthening agricultural productivity, rebuilding farmer resilience and revitalising the coffee subsector as a driver of rural incomes.
The ceremony, organised by the North West Development Authority, MIDENO, brought together government officials, development partners, cooperative leaders and farmers in a gathering that sought to move beyond symbolism and focus on practical support for agricultural recovery.
Presiding over the ceremony, the Governor of the North West Region, Lele Lafrique Tchoffo Deben Adolphe, emphasised on the central role agriculture continues to play in sustaining livelihoods across the region despite recent socio economic disruptions.
“Agriculture remains the backbone of our region’s economy. It is the primary source of livelihood for the majority of our population and a critical pillar for food security, employment and poverty reduction,” the Governor said.
He commended farmers for their resilience during years of instability and stressed that the launch of the farming season represents a deliberate effort by government and its partners to restore confidence in the agricultural sector.
“Today’s event is therefore not merely ceremonial. It is a strategic intervention aimed at revitalising agricultural production and restoring confidence among our farming communities,” he stated.
Central to the initiative is the distribution of key agricultural inputs aimed at boosting productivity while supporting diversification within farm systems. The Governor highlighted that fertilisers, improved maize and bean seeds, carrot seeds and plantain plantlets are being provided to farmers across the region, particularly coffee producers organised through cooperatives.
According to him, the intervention is intended to improve production and productivity, strengthen food security, promote import substitution and encourage climate smart farming practices.
“I am particularly pleased with the emphasis placed on inter cropping coffee with plantain and carrot production as diversification strategies. These initiatives will provide farmers with medium and short term income opportunities while enhancing food security at the household level,” the Governor said.
He urged farmers to make responsible use of the support provided.
“Let this support translate into increased yields, improved incomes and renewed hope for our rural communities,” he told the farmers gathered at the event.
The Director General of MIDENO, Cletus Anye Matoyah, explained that the launch of the 2026 farming season builds on significant gains already recorded under the Cameroon Emergency Food Crisis Combat Project.
Between 2024 and 2025, he revealed, the project expanded access to agricultural inputs to tens of thousands of farmers across the region.
“In total, 24,724 farmers benefited from input support compared to an initial target of 10,700 farmers, representing an impressive 231 percent achievement rate,” The Director general said.
He explained that improved seeds, fertilisers and planting materials distributed during that period helped strengthen production across several value chains including maize, cassava, rice, plantain, potatoes and market gardening.
Beyond inputs, MIDENO also focused on strengthening farmers’ productive capacity.
“Equipment such as power tillers, hand carts and knapsack sprayers has improved land preparation, crop management and post harvest handling,” he said, adding that more than 14,000 farmers also received training in climate smart agriculture, safe agrochemical use and improved post harvest management.
For the 2026 farming season, MIDENO has mobilised another round of targeted support designed to boost productivity and diversify farm income.
These include 1,600 bags of bio complex fertiliser for organised coffee farmers, 15 tons of improved maize seeds, 3 tons of high iron bean seeds, 560 tins of carrot seeds for intercropping and 10,000 plantain plantlets to promote coffee based farming systems.
“These inputs are not mere handouts. They are strategic productivity enhancers designed to restore soil fertility, increase crop yields, promote income diversification and strengthen resilience among farming households,” Anye Matoyah said.
He added that the authority has also put in place monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure transparency in the distribution process and to assess the impact of the support on farmer productivity and income levels.
Partnerships with farmer cooperatives and research institutions are expected to play a critical role in the success of the initiative.
Representatives of the North West Cooperative Association, BIMELA Coffee Cooperative and the TAGDEV programme of the University of Bamenda all reaffirmed their readiness to work alongside MIDENO in strengthening farmer organisations, expanding training opportunities and promoting entrepreneurship within the coffee value chain.
The Director General also highlighted the collaboration between MIDENO and the University of Bamenda, through which students receive practical agricultural training while contributing to field level innovations.
Building on this partnership, he said MIDENO intends to work closely with partners to promote the emergence of young entrepreneurs, particularly in coffee marketing and value chain development.
Addressing young people and women during the ceremony, the Governor called on them to take advantage of opportunities in agriculture.
“Agriculture is not merely subsistence. It is enterprise, innovation and a pathway to prosperity,” he said.
With these commitments, the Governor formally declared the 2026 farming season open, expressing hope for improved harvests across the region.
“Let the harvest be plenty,” he concluded.
As farmers prepare their farms across the North West Region, the coordinated effort between government institutions, cooperatives and development partners is expected to provide the support needed to restore productivity and strengthen rural livelihoods in the months ahead.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web
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