Terracing as an Old-Style Scheme of Soil Water Preservation in Djingliya-Mandara Mountains- Cameroon

Abstract

The relief and high population densities of ≥150 inhabitants/Km2in the Mandara Mountains and the drastic displacement of internally displaced persons towards these Mountains have brought about severe effects on water and soil resources. This environmental and socio-political crisis, have made agricultural production not to meet demand for food and hundreds of these rural people go hungry each day. This has constrained the inhabitants to develop various tactics of soil water preservation and landscape restoration towards fighting deficiencies in crop production to ensure food security. This study analyzes terracing as a traditional system of soil water conservation adopted by the farmers in Djingliya villages found on the Mandara Mountains. Through secondary source of information, field observation, interviews and questionnaires administered on 100 persons in five villages of the study area, results show that: soil degradation via soil resources overuse and erosion is checked by terraces. Also, the tendency of adopting local techniques is harnessed through the cultivation of plants which increase infiltration, agroforestry, crop rotation practices, Forest Landscape Conservation, Mosaic Landscape Restoration and Valorizing Local Plant Species to ensure sustainable farming activities that restore degraded land in general and terraces in particular.