Women in Bamenda who received training in soilless agriculture and waste management through a UN Women initiative are beginning to harvest vegetables, reduce household food expenses and introduce urban farming techniques within their communities.
This emerged during an evaluation visit by officials of the North West Regional Delegations of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development, and Agriculture and Rural Development, who assessed the progress made by beneficiary groups and individual participants in applying the skills acquired during the training.
The evaluation covered groups in Bamenda I, II and III, with officials inspecting compost heaps, nurseries, planting containers and household gardens to establish the extent to which participants had translated the training into practical activities.
The initiative, launched in Bamenda on 5 August 2026, targets 100 vulnerable women organised into 10 groups. The beneficiaries include internally displaced women, female-headed households, women with disabilities and women from minority communities.
It was designed to address the difficulties women face in accessing farmland because of conflict, displacement and increasing urbanisation. Through soilless and urban agriculture, participants are taught to grow vegetables in used plastic containers, rubber tyres, sacks and other locally available materials, while converting biodegradable household waste into compost.
.png)
The training also covered waste sorting, nursery establishment, vertical gardening and water-saving irrigation techniques. The objective is to enable women to produce food in limited spaces, reduce household expenditure and explore opportunities for income generation.
Technical assessment shows progress as Bamenda I records nursery and production gains
Derek Nchigham Tantoh, Chief of Brigade for Environmental Inspection at the Regional Delegation of Environment, said the evaluation found encouraging levels of implementation, particularly among the women's groups.
He estimated that implementation of compost heaps across the four groups assessed stood at about 50 per cent, explaining that members were expected to establish individual compost heaps.
“We can put it at 50 per cent success rate implementation at the level of their compost heaps,” he said.
However, he singled out the Menka Mixed Farming Group in Bamenda I for its progress, saying members had demonstrated a good understanding of composting and the use of waste bags and containers for soilless production.
“They had a very great mastery of composting and the various techniques in filling their waste bags and containers. They have actually gone too far in the implementation with very great results,” Derek Tantoh said.
He also identified the Akefuh Mixed Farming Group and Solidarity still in Bamenda I among the groups assessed, while noting that the lone Youth Group was yet to begin full implementation and remained at the initial stage of putting the training into practice.
Despite the differences in progress, he commended the women who had taken responsibility for applying the techniques.
“We see women are taking the challenge, taking the bull by the horns, and being very great producers,” he said.
Munomi Hosward Ngufor, Sub Delegate of Agriculture for Bamenda I, said the groups visited had made progress, although some were still catching up.
He estimated that about 80 per cent of the nurseries established by the groups were doing well, with seedlings distributed to members who had moved on to production.
.png)
“Most of them have nursed the various seeds given to them, and most of them have about 80, 90 per cent growth in their nurseries. They have distributed to the members of the groups, and the groups are into production,” he said.
Hosward Ngufor also estimated that about 70 per cent of members had understood and applied the knowledge acquired during the training.
He said some participants had encountered difficulties with particular seeds, including okra, which failed to germinate or grow properly in some cases. Others misunderstood the purpose of the project and transferred the seeds to their conventional farms.
He explained that the initiative was intended to help women make productive use of small spaces around their homes, rather than expand cultivation on larger farms.
“The problem was managing the little environment in which they live in, where there is a shortage of land,” he said.
With Bamenda experiencing continued urban growth, Hosward Ngufor said urban agriculture could become increasingly important as available farming space becomes more limited.
He encouraged participants to share the knowledge with other farmers and demonstrate how crops could be grown around homes, along walls and in other available spaces.
.png)
Women with disabilities harvest their first crops
In Bamenda II, the evaluation team found that members of the Community Creative Centre for Women and Girls with Disabilities had made practical use of the training, despite difficulties with compost production and water supply.
Dr Agbor Ebai Maurice Tambe, an environmentalist and waste management expert with the Regional Delegation of Environment, said the group had adapted the techniques to its surroundings, where much of the available space was concreted.
He identified composting as one of the main difficulties because the group lacked sufficient space to prepare compost directly on the ground.
Water supply was another concern. He said some members, particularly those with disabilities, faced difficulties watering their crops when public taps were not flowing.
The group's Vice President, Anguna Mariana Mabuta, confirmed that sourcing suitable materials had been a major challenge.
She said members had to travel some distance to obtain black soil and also needed money to buy additional containers and pipes for watering.
Despite these constraints, the group has already harvested tomatoes, cabbage and cayenne pepper, while leeks and other vegetables are being used in household meals.
“We have harvested tomatoes. We have eaten tomatoes already from our farm. We have eaten cayenne pepper. We have eaten even cabbage,” Mabuta said.
She estimated that the garden had helped her save more than FCFA 5,000 monthly on spices and other vegetables, particularly leeks, which she uses regularly in cooking.
“I can say that I have preserved more than 5,000 francs. Yes, only for the spices, not just leeks, but the other ones,” she said.
The benefits for Mabuta, go beyond having vegetables available at home.
“It has really helped because it has helped us even to improve our standard of living,” she said.
Women take the knowledge to their groups
.png)
The evaluation also showed that some beneficiaries were sharing the skills acquired during the training with other members of their organisations.
The President of Zumuchui Women Network in Bamenda I said she organised a meeting after the training to explain the techniques and encourage members to establish their own gardens.
She distributed seeds among members, explaining that each woman needed to learn the different stages of production, from nursery establishment and transplanting to manure application and harvesting.
She also passed on practical advice about applying manure, warning members against placing it too close to plant stems because it could damage the crops.
The group leader said she was pleased with the progress, pointing to her growing cabbage and vegetables as evidence of what the training had made possible.
“Very soon I'll be eating cabbage. I will not be buying cabbage. That is my spices. My vegetables are in the farm. You can just go and have this and eat. At times you can even sell the vegetables,” she said.
However, she identified inadequate water supply during the dry season as a challenge and appealed for continued technical support from UN Women.
.png)
For Jara Patu Jibo, President of the KAIRU Women Group in Bamenda III and an indigenous Mbororo woman, the implementation process has also been affected by limited resources.
She said the group needed money to purchase materials such as wire and sticks for constructing planting structures. Some of the seeds supplied also failed to produce the expected results.
While the group experienced difficulties with several crops, she said members managed to establish some plants, including tomatoes, after making further efforts.
.png)
The evaluation has shown that the women are beginning to apply the skills acquired, with some groups advancing to harvesting while others are still establishing their gardens.
The different assessments also point to the need for continued monitoring and technical support if the initial gains are to be sustained.
The wider objective for UN Women, is to strengthen the economic resilience of vulnerable women by making food production possible in spaces where conventional farming may not be practical. The project also promotes better household waste management through the reuse of plastic containers and tyres and the conversion of biodegradable waste into compost.
The early harvests and reported household savings suggest that the approach is already providing practical benefits to some participants. However, access to water, suitable space, planting materials and technical assistance will remain important in determining how far the groups can take the initiative.
For the women who have begun harvesting, the training has moved beyond demonstrations and nursery work. It is now providing vegetables for household consumption, reducing some food expenses and opening up the possibility of selling surplus produce.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web
Tel: +237 694 71 85 77
0 Comments