Authors :
Ngwogeh Valery; OjukuTiafack
Volume/Issue :
Volume 7 - 2022, Issue 10 - October
Google Scholar :
https://bit.ly/3IIfn9N
Scribd :
https://bit.ly/3t86v7P
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7299497
Abstract :
Small-scale agriculture whichaccording to the
World Bank (2002), employs three out of four poor
people in rural areas of developing countries has
significantly increased agricultural production over the
years resulting in more income per capita. Its
contribution to poverty alleviation, however,is still
minimal in Cameroon in general and Upper Nyong
Division in the East region in particular asthe
benefitsderived havestill not eradicated poverty to the
barest minimum. It is in furtherance to this that this
study examines the role of small scale agriculture as a
tool of poverty alleviation in the Upper Nyong division in
the East Region of Cameroon. The study used secondary
and primary data (published and unpublished)as well
grey dataon aspects related to small-scale agriculture
and livelihood enhancement. Primary data were
collected through field observations, administration of
questionnaires to 444 households in 14 sampled SubDivisions, focus group discussions, interviews guides and
on-the-spot appraisals. The findings revealed that smallscale agriculture has not contributed substantially in
livelihood enhancement in most rural households of
theUpper-Nyong Division. This could be accounted for
by the fact that peasant farmers in this region still use
rudimentary agricultural tools (90%), physical
contraints related to climate change and variability
(44%),limited knowledge on improved agricultural
techniques (15%), inadequate capital (25%), deviation of
agricultural labour to other sectors of the economy
(15%), and inadequate/poor farm to market roads
(19%). Despite these stalemates, field workrevealed that
apart fromthe secondary sector which employs 10% of
the population of the Upper Nyong division,small-scale
agriculture remains themain economic activity of the
people (90%). These findings thus canvass the need for
the stateto double efforts in ensuring that challenges
linked to small scale agriculture be dismantled and
neutralized through intensive sensitization and provision
of modern agricultural techniques and equipment,
construction of farm to market roads, provision of loans
to farmers to improve on their production.
Keywords :
Small-scale agriculture, poverty alleviation and Upper-Nyong Division
Small-scale agriculture whichaccording to the
World Bank (2002), employs three out of four poor
people in rural areas of developing countries has
significantly increased agricultural production over the
years resulting in more income per capita. Its
contribution to poverty alleviation, however,is still
minimal in Cameroon in general and Upper Nyong
Division in the East region in particular asthe
benefitsderived havestill not eradicated poverty to the
barest minimum. It is in furtherance to this that this
study examines the role of small scale agriculture as a
tool of poverty alleviation in the Upper Nyong division in
the East Region of Cameroon. The study used secondary
and primary data (published and unpublished)as well
grey dataon aspects related to small-scale agriculture
and livelihood enhancement. Primary data were
collected through field observations, administration of
questionnaires to 444 households in 14 sampled SubDivisions, focus group discussions, interviews guides and
on-the-spot appraisals. The findings revealed that smallscale agriculture has not contributed substantially in
livelihood enhancement in most rural households of
theUpper-Nyong Division. This could be accounted for
by the fact that peasant farmers in this region still use
rudimentary agricultural tools (90%), physical
contraints related to climate change and variability
(44%),limited knowledge on improved agricultural
techniques (15%), inadequate capital (25%), deviation of
agricultural labour to other sectors of the economy
(15%), and inadequate/poor farm to market roads
(19%). Despite these stalemates, field workrevealed that
apart fromthe secondary sector which employs 10% of
the population of the Upper Nyong division,small-scale
agriculture remains themain economic activity of the
people (90%). These findings thus canvass the need for
the stateto double efforts in ensuring that challenges
linked to small scale agriculture be dismantled and
neutralized through intensive sensitization and provision
of modern agricultural techniques and equipment,
construction of farm to market roads, provision of loans
to farmers to improve on their production.
Keywords :
Small-scale agriculture, poverty alleviation and Upper-Nyong Division
