Dealing with Food Insecurity with Improved Nutrition in the Far North Region of Cameroon

Abstract

According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2015), the food security and nutrition situation in Cameroon has deteriorated due to multiple shocks such as the influx of refugees from the Central African Republic and Nigeria, increasing insecurity and natural disasters. In early 2015, the number of food insecure people stands three times higher than two years ago, affecting one out of seven people in the two worst hit regions of Far North and North. Malnutrition rates are also on the increase, with a 40% rise in SAM cases since 2014. Refugees and IDP children are particularly affected by rising malnutrition. More than 70 percent of farmers in the Far North have deserted their fields since 2015. In those areas where food is still available, the prices have increased, making it difficult for many people, especially those now out of work, to afford. In Mayo-Sava, for example, a bag of rice now costs around $50 as compared to $40 this time last year. The price per kilogram of corn and millet has increased from $0.80 to $1.00. Even during times of peace, Northern Cameroon is an area that is plagued by water shortages and a harsh climate. An estimated 25 to 30 percent of the land is barren. The region sees no rainfall for at least nine months of the year and temperatures often reach above 45 degrees Celsius, making it difficult to keep crops watered and for farmers to work under the scorching sun. Women’s vulnerability in these communities is aggravated by cultural and social practices, which dictate that women do more physical work than men, sometimes walking for hours at a time just to find wood and water. Malnutrition rates among IDPs and host communities vary, but many are above 15 percent, especially along the border with Nigeria. Since January, 1st 2016, the world officially began the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; the transformative plan of action based on 17 Sustainable Development Goals, to address urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. This agenda is a road map for people and the planet that will build on the success of the Millennium Development Goals and ensure sustainable social and economic progress worldwide. It seeks not only to eradicate extreme poverty like in the Far North of Cameroon, but also to integrate and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development namely; economic, social and environmental, in a comprehensive global vision. This goal seeks to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition and to achieve sustainable food production by 2030. It is premised on the idea that everyone, even those in remote areas like Far North of Cameroon, should have access to sufficient nutritious food, which will require widespread promotion of sustainable agriculture, a doubling of agricultural productivity, increased investments and properly functioning food markets. The Cameroonian Government is sensitive about the importance of agriculture to the wellbeing of the State and is concerned to ensure that its position and role should not be undermined. Agriculture and livestock are the mainstay of the economy, accounting for close to 20% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and engaging over 60% of the active population mostly peasants who are responsible the production for over 80% of the food consumed across the country. This paper seeks to draft a plan to promote sustainable platform to halve hunger, food insecurity and improved nutrition in the Far North of Cameroon.