Since the beginning of the year 2000, the Bug-suh organic farmers started introducing the concept of urban agriculture in the city of Bamenda. Mendankwe, one of the “fondoms” that make up the Bamenda Municipality provides the conducive environment for urban agriculture. It has a cool temperate-like climate, influenced mainly by topography. Average rainfall is about 2400 mm, temperature average 23oC, ranging between 15o-32oC.
Crop-based farming, pure pastoralism and mixed crop-livestock systems prevail in the area. The crop based production system is the dominant activity of the area employing 70% of the population. Major farms in the system are home gardens usually found around homesteads, and grassland farms. Farmers grow coffee, maize, cocoyams, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes and fruit trees. They also keep pigs and poultry.
Women and children provide most of the labour force for all the farming activities, except for land preparation and grazing. |
