Summary of SRI in Cameroon

SRI has been implemented in Cameroon since 2013, although the British NGO Skills for Development began planning the promotion of SRI as early as 2011. Henry Ngimbu from Zambia provided the SRI training to farmers in Ndop, Cameroon in 2013. The training was a collaboration between the Centre for SRI Initiation (CSRII) Zambia, Skills for Development, and technical support from SRI-Rice at Cornell University. Following the training, farmers were averaging yields of 8.2 tons/hectare. In 2015, Julius Fieshi, the coordinator of the SRI COOPBOD Group, wrote a report that highlights the yield differences between SRI and traditional farming methods. During late 2016, four SRI farmers in Ndop plus COOPBOD coordinator Julius Fieshi made a four-day trip supported by SRI-Rice to Mbueni in Boyo Division (November 29 – December 2) to provide training to farmers working with the NGO BARUDEV in the latter location. BARUDEV’s continuing work with SRI to increase productivity in Mbueni became even more valuable as the conflict in Cameroon began threatening food security in 2019-2021.