The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon

Tassah Ivo Tawe; Akenji Victorine Neh

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15

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The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon

Tassah Ivo Tawe, Akenji Victorine Neh

Published in International Journal of Law and Society (Volume 1, Issue 1)

Received: 19 October 2017 Accepted: 8 November 2017 Published: 2 January 2018

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Abstract

Natural Resources are of great importance to mankind and land in particular is of greater importance in terms of agriculture and rural development. Land as an agricultural resource is of valuable significance especially to developing economies that largely depend on it for the production of both food and cash crops. Land and the benefits that can be derived from it have been taken for granted and undervalued by civilizations in both past and present, despite warnings of the need for careful land stewardship in the world. Today, the pressure on land has reached such a critical point that serious doubts have been raised on the capacity of the land to meet the demands of a human population rapidly increasing to 9 billion. Land constitutes the fundamental livelihood asset of the rural poor in most parts of Cameroon and the North West Region in particular. The exploitation of this resource for food and poverty alleviation in a highland environment like the Widikum-Menka area in the face of a rapid population growth calls for some urgent concerns, as the land degradation problem which has been manifested through frequent landslide, accelerated erosion, loss of habitat, decreasing agricultural yields and ecological disturbance are rife. This paper therefore aims at examining the implications of the unsustainable land resources exploitation in the Widikum-Menka highland with the view of bringing order in the organization of human activities in this diverse agro-ecological zone which can yield maximum productivity while guaranteeing the stability of the environment. To attain this objective, both the descriptive and analytical methods of investigation were used and several field surveys, interviews and focused group discussions were carried out. This paper also uses the DFPSIR and DPIR framework to give explicit attention to the environmental as well as human impacts of pressures caused by the more fundamental driving forces. The results obtained shows that land resource degradation among other resources remains the major threat to rural livelihoods over the area. The rate of decrease in the parameters within the two decades is rated high according to some agro-technicians. Despite this warning, the study disclosed that, land degradation may persist for the rest of the millennium since there exist no blue prints for sustainable agriculture and land management for the sub region. As such; there is therefore need for the government and NGOs to mainstream Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) as a farming practice in this region.

Published in	International Journal of Law and Society (Volume 1, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15
Page(s)	34-45
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Land Resources, Unsustainable Exploitation, Implications, Prospects, Widikum-Menka Highlands, Cameroon

References

[1]	Becha N. F. (2013); Natural Resource Degradation: Management Options for Sustainable Livelihood in Widikum Sub-Division, North West Region of Cameroon. Unpublished M. Sc. Thesis. University of Buea, Cameroon.
[2]	ELD Initiative (2013). The rewards of investing in sustainable land management. Interim Report for the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative: A global strategy for sustainable land management.
[3]	Gabathuler E., Liniger H., Christine H., Markus G. (2009). Benefits of Sustainable Land Management. WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) and CDE (Centre for Development and Environment), University of Berne.
[4]	Lambi C. M., Ndenecho E. N. & Yenshu, V. (2008): Environment and Inter Community Conflicts in the North West Region of Cameroon: In Journal of Applied Social Sciences (JASS), Vol 7, No 1 (2008), Unique Printers, Bamenda.
[5]	Lambi C. M (2001): Environmental Constraints and Indigenous Agricultural Intensification (Upper Nun Valley of Cameroon) in Lambi & Eze (Ed., 2001); In Readings in Geography, Unique printers, Bamenda.
[6]	Liniger, H. P., Mekdaschi. R. Studer, Hauert. C, and Gurtner M. (2011). Sustainable Land Management in Practice – Guidelines and Best Practices for Sub-Saharan Africa. TerrAfrica, World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
[7]	McCarthy, N. and Brubaker, J. 2014, Climate-Smart Agriculture and resource tenure in Sub-Saharan Africa: a conceptual framework, Rome, FAO.
[8]	Ndenecho E. Neba. (2005). Biological Resource Exploitation in Cameroon. From Crisis to Sustainable Management. Unique Printers-Bamenda.
[9]	Ndenecho E. Neba. (2010). Integrating Local Livelihood Sustenance Activities in Protected Area Management: The case of Korup National Park, Cameroon. In African journal of social sciences vol 1, number 2, p 23.
[10]	Peter Donovan, (2013); Measuring soil carbon change: A flexible, Practical, Local Method.
[11]	Tassah I. T. (2013); Slope Dynamics and Implications on Agricultural Production in the Widikum-Menka Sub-Division, North West Region of Cameroon. Unpublished M. Sc. Thesis. University of Buea, Cameroon.
[12]	Tassah I. T. & Lambi M. C. (2014); Topographic Constraints and Agricultural Production in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Region of Cameroon. In the African Journal of Social Sciences, Vol 5, No 3, November 2014. Pg 16-29.
[13]	Titilola T. S. and Jeje L. K (2008). Environmental degradation and its implications for agricultural and rural development: the issue of land erosion. Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa. Volume 10 (2).
[14]	UN Habitat (2010). Land, Environment and Climate Change: Challenges, Responses and Tools. United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UNHABITAT).
[15]	Widikum Veterinary and Zoo-Technical Centre, 2015 and 2016 Annual Reports.

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Tassah Ivo Tawe, Akenji Victorine Neh. (2018). The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon. International Journal of Law and Society, 1(1), 34-45. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15

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ACS Style

Tassah Ivo Tawe; Akenji Victorine Neh. The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon. Int. J. Law Soc. 2018, 1(1), 34-45. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15

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AMA Style

Tassah Ivo Tawe, Akenji Victorine Neh. The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon. Int J Law Soc. 2018;1(1):34-45. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15

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@article{10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15,
  author = {Tassah Ivo Tawe and Akenji Victorine Neh},
  title = {The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon},
  journal = {International Journal of Law and Society},
  volume = {1},
  number = {1},
  pages = {34-45},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijls.20180101.15},
  abstract = {Natural Resources are of great importance to mankind and land in particular is of greater importance in terms of agriculture and rural development. Land as an agricultural resource is of valuable significance especially to developing economies that largely depend on it for the production of both food and cash crops. Land and the benefits that can be derived from it have been taken for granted and undervalued by civilizations in both past and present, despite warnings of the need for careful land stewardship in the world. Today, the pressure on land has reached such a critical point that serious doubts have been raised on the capacity of the land to meet the demands of a human population rapidly increasing to 9 billion. Land constitutes the fundamental livelihood asset of the rural poor in most parts of Cameroon and the North West Region in particular. The exploitation of this resource for food and poverty alleviation in a highland environment like the Widikum-Menka area in the face of a rapid population growth calls for some urgent concerns, as the land degradation problem which has been manifested through frequent landslide, accelerated erosion, loss of habitat, decreasing agricultural yields and ecological disturbance are rife. This paper therefore aims at examining the implications of the unsustainable land resources exploitation in the Widikum-Menka highland with the view of bringing order in the organization of human activities in this diverse agro-ecological zone which can yield maximum productivity while guaranteeing the stability of the environment. To attain this objective, both the descriptive and analytical methods of investigation were used and several field surveys, interviews and focused group discussions were carried out. This paper also uses the DFPSIR and DPIR framework to give explicit attention to the environmental as well as human impacts of pressures caused by the more fundamental driving forces. The results obtained shows that land resource degradation among other resources remains the major threat to rural livelihoods over the area. The rate of decrease in the parameters within the two decades is rated high according to some agro-technicians. Despite this warning, the study disclosed that, land degradation may persist for the rest of the millennium since there exist no blue prints for sustainable agriculture and land management for the sub region. As such; there is therefore need for the government and NGOs to mainstream Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) as a farming practice in this region.},
 year = {2018}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon
AU  - Tassah Ivo Tawe
AU  - Akenji Victorine Neh
Y1  - 2018/01/02
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15
T2  - International Journal of Law and Society
JF  - International Journal of Law and Society
JO  - International Journal of Law and Society
SP  - 34
EP  - 45
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-1908
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15
AB  - Natural Resources are of great importance to mankind and land in particular is of greater importance in terms of agriculture and rural development. Land as an agricultural resource is of valuable significance especially to developing economies that largely depend on it for the production of both food and cash crops. Land and the benefits that can be derived from it have been taken for granted and undervalued by civilizations in both past and present, despite warnings of the need for careful land stewardship in the world. Today, the pressure on land has reached such a critical point that serious doubts have been raised on the capacity of the land to meet the demands of a human population rapidly increasing to 9 billion. Land constitutes the fundamental livelihood asset of the rural poor in most parts of Cameroon and the North West Region in particular. The exploitation of this resource for food and poverty alleviation in a highland environment like the Widikum-Menka area in the face of a rapid population growth calls for some urgent concerns, as the land degradation problem which has been manifested through frequent landslide, accelerated erosion, loss of habitat, decreasing agricultural yields and ecological disturbance are rife. This paper therefore aims at examining the implications of the unsustainable land resources exploitation in the Widikum-Menka highland with the view of bringing order in the organization of human activities in this diverse agro-ecological zone which can yield maximum productivity while guaranteeing the stability of the environment. To attain this objective, both the descriptive and analytical methods of investigation were used and several field surveys, interviews and focused group discussions were carried out. This paper also uses the DFPSIR and DPIR framework to give explicit attention to the environmental as well as human impacts of pressures caused by the more fundamental driving forces. The results obtained shows that land resource degradation among other resources remains the major threat to rural livelihoods over the area. The rate of decrease in the parameters within the two decades is rated high according to some agro-technicians. Despite this warning, the study disclosed that, land degradation may persist for the rest of the millennium since there exist no blue prints for sustainable agriculture and land management for the sub region. As such; there is therefore need for the government and NGOs to mainstream Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) as a farming practice in this region.
VL  - 1
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Tassah Ivo Tawe

Department of Geography, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Akenji Victorine Neh

Department of Geology and Environmental Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon

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APA Style

Tassah Ivo Tawe, Akenji Victorine Neh. (2018). The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon. International Journal of Law and Society, 1(1), 34-45. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15

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ACS Style

Tassah Ivo Tawe; Akenji Victorine Neh. The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon. Int. J. Law Soc. 2018, 1(1), 34-45. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15

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AMA Style

Tassah Ivo Tawe, Akenji Victorine Neh. The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon. Int J Law Soc. 2018;1(1):34-45. doi: 10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15

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@article{10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15,
  author = {Tassah Ivo Tawe and Akenji Victorine Neh},
  title = {The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon},
  journal = {International Journal of Law and Society},
  volume = {1},
  number = {1},
  pages = {34-45},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijls.20180101.15},
  abstract = {Natural Resources are of great importance to mankind and land in particular is of greater importance in terms of agriculture and rural development. Land as an agricultural resource is of valuable significance especially to developing economies that largely depend on it for the production of both food and cash crops. Land and the benefits that can be derived from it have been taken for granted and undervalued by civilizations in both past and present, despite warnings of the need for careful land stewardship in the world. Today, the pressure on land has reached such a critical point that serious doubts have been raised on the capacity of the land to meet the demands of a human population rapidly increasing to 9 billion. Land constitutes the fundamental livelihood asset of the rural poor in most parts of Cameroon and the North West Region in particular. The exploitation of this resource for food and poverty alleviation in a highland environment like the Widikum-Menka area in the face of a rapid population growth calls for some urgent concerns, as the land degradation problem which has been manifested through frequent landslide, accelerated erosion, loss of habitat, decreasing agricultural yields and ecological disturbance are rife. This paper therefore aims at examining the implications of the unsustainable land resources exploitation in the Widikum-Menka highland with the view of bringing order in the organization of human activities in this diverse agro-ecological zone which can yield maximum productivity while guaranteeing the stability of the environment. To attain this objective, both the descriptive and analytical methods of investigation were used and several field surveys, interviews and focused group discussions were carried out. This paper also uses the DFPSIR and DPIR framework to give explicit attention to the environmental as well as human impacts of pressures caused by the more fundamental driving forces. The results obtained shows that land resource degradation among other resources remains the major threat to rural livelihoods over the area. The rate of decrease in the parameters within the two decades is rated high according to some agro-technicians. Despite this warning, the study disclosed that, land degradation may persist for the rest of the millennium since there exist no blue prints for sustainable agriculture and land management for the sub region. As such; there is therefore need for the government and NGOs to mainstream Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) as a farming practice in this region.},
 year = {2018}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Implications of Unsustainable Agricultural Land Resources Exploitation in the Widikum-Menka Highlands, North West Cameroon
AU  - Tassah Ivo Tawe
AU  - Akenji Victorine Neh
Y1  - 2018/01/02
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15
T2  - International Journal of Law and Society
JF  - International Journal of Law and Society
JO  - International Journal of Law and Society
SP  - 34
EP  - 45
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-1908
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijls.20180101.15
AB  - Natural Resources are of great importance to mankind and land in particular is of greater importance in terms of agriculture and rural development. Land as an agricultural resource is of valuable significance especially to developing economies that largely depend on it for the production of both food and cash crops. Land and the benefits that can be derived from it have been taken for granted and undervalued by civilizations in both past and present, despite warnings of the need for careful land stewardship in the world. Today, the pressure on land has reached such a critical point that serious doubts have been raised on the capacity of the land to meet the demands of a human population rapidly increasing to 9 billion. Land constitutes the fundamental livelihood asset of the rural poor in most parts of Cameroon and the North West Region in particular. The exploitation of this resource for food and poverty alleviation in a highland environment like the Widikum-Menka area in the face of a rapid population growth calls for some urgent concerns, as the land degradation problem which has been manifested through frequent landslide, accelerated erosion, loss of habitat, decreasing agricultural yields and ecological disturbance are rife. This paper therefore aims at examining the implications of the unsustainable land resources exploitation in the Widikum-Menka highland with the view of bringing order in the organization of human activities in this diverse agro-ecological zone which can yield maximum productivity while guaranteeing the stability of the environment. To attain this objective, both the descriptive and analytical methods of investigation were used and several field surveys, interviews and focused group discussions were carried out. This paper also uses the DFPSIR and DPIR framework to give explicit attention to the environmental as well as human impacts of pressures caused by the more fundamental driving forces. The results obtained shows that land resource degradation among other resources remains the major threat to rural livelihoods over the area. The rate of decrease in the parameters within the two decades is rated high according to some agro-technicians. Despite this warning, the study disclosed that, land degradation may persist for the rest of the millennium since there exist no blue prints for sustainable agriculture and land management for the sub region. As such; there is therefore need for the government and NGOs to mainstream Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) as a farming practice in this region.
VL  - 1
IS  - 1
ER  -

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