Climate Change and Integrated Farmland Management in Northern Cameroon: Highlighting Pro-accessibility and Pro-restoration Strategies

Context and background  In sub-Saharan Africa, and Cameroon in particular, land governance has a number of weaknesses that are potential sources of insecurity and resource degradation. The institutional frameworks for land policies have failed. These weaknesses have led to the implementation of alternative strategies to facilitate access, restoration and management of the increasingly scarce land in the Sahelian zone of Cameroon. Yet the effects of climate change (CC) are increasing. Goal and Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyse strategies for managing and securing agricultural land in the North Cameroon region. Specifically, it was a question of identifying them and presenting the characteristics related to the preservation of biodiversity. Methodology: The data were collected as part of the ‘Strengthening Innovation Systems in Northern Cameroon (ReSINoC)’ project, from around ten stakeholders involved in agro-sylvopastoralism-related activities in the region. Content analysis guided the systematic examination of documents and interview data. The harmonised characterisation grid was used to describe the strategies identified. The relevance of the strategies promoted was assessed using the indicators defined in the Ecosystem based Adaptation-EbA. Results: Two main strategies that play a significant role in land access and ecosystem-based adaptation have been promoted in North Cameroon. Their interest in promoting sustainable development (SD) is well established. These are the "Protocadastre" approach to agricultural land management by contractualisation and the "Watershed (WS) " approach to sustainable landscape management. The Protocadastre, as a method of local governance of land tenure, emphasises short- and medium-term contractualisation (3 to 5 years), which guarantees development by the applicant. The applicant then has the latitude and assurance to carry out practices that restore soil fertility without fear of dispossession. The BV approach is an integrated system for managing and restoring degraded landscapes. It incorporates a range of tools that can be harmonised to preserve natural resources (NR) and mitigate CC in a given area.