Want to know who really grows your food in Cameroon? Spoiler alert: it’s not the men on the official papers!
Meet Mama Sarah, Cameroon’s Unsung Farm CEO
Every morning at 5 AM, Mama Sarah leaves her home in Bamenda with her machete and farming bag. She’s heading to her maize and beans fields while her husband is still sleeping. She’s basically preparing breakfast for the entire nation.
But check the government records – her husband’s name appears as the “farmer.” Mama Sarah? She doesn’t exist on paper. Yet she’s doing all the work!
This story plays out across Cameroon, from the volcanic soils of the Northwest to the cocoa farms of the South.
The Numbers That Will Shock You
- 70% of farm work in Cameroon = done by women
- Less than 10% of women own their farmland
- Zero francs: what many women get when crops are sold
Picture this: you work 12 hours daily in the scorching sun, but your husband pockets all the money. Not exactly fair, right?
Why Our Women Are Hidden Agricultural Geniuses
They’re Natural Innovators
Ever seen those small gardens behind Bamileke homes? Those tiny spaces growing 20 different vegetables? That’s pure genius! Cameroonian grandmothers were doing sustainable farming way before it became trendy on social media.
In the Grassfields region, women practice what experts now call “intercropping” – mixing cassava with groundnuts and green vegetables. They didn’t need agricultural school to figure this out.
They Know Plants Like Medicine
Ask any Cameroonian mother how to treat diseased cassava. She’ll give you five natural remedies that Google doesn’t even know about. This knowledge passed down from grandmother to daughter is priceless.
They Transform Everything
From corn, they make porridge, couscous, and local drinks. From cassava, they create tapioca, flour, and garri (dried cassava flakes). Zero waste before it was cool!
The Problems We Need to Fix Now
Land Belongs to “Papa” Only
In most Cameroonian villages, when dad dies, his brother inherits the farm – not the wife who planted everything. This tradition needs to change in 2025!
Getting Loans is Nearly Impossible
Banks want collateral. But how do you provide guarantees when you own nothing? It’s a vicious cycle keeping women poor.
Training Programs Ignore the Real Farmers
Agricultural extension workers always talk to the men. They assume women don’t understand farming. Meanwhile, women are the actual experts!
Success Stories That Give Us Hope
Women’s Groups That Are Winning
In Bafoussam, women formed cooperatives to grow organic vegetables. Today they supply supermarkets in Douala and Yaounde. They even bought their own delivery truck!
Mama Grace’s Shea Butter Empire
This entrepreneur from the Far North transforms shea nuts into premium butter. She exports to France and the US! Her secret weapon? Learning to use WhatsApp and Facebook to find international customers.
How to Help Our Agricultural Heroes
1. Change Land Ownership Laws
Women must be able to inherit farms. Period.
2. Train the Real Farmers
Stop training only men when women do the actual farming!
3. Create Women-Friendly Credit
Loans without land collateral, designed for women farmers.
4. Embrace Technology
WhatsApp for market prices, YouTube for training videos. Simple but effective.
Young Women: The Future is Female
Back to the Village 2.0
Many educated young women are returning to rural areas with fresh ideas. They blend grandma’s techniques with smartphone apps – it’s agriculture meets Silicon Valley!
Agriculture + Business = Success
They’re not just farming anymore. They process, package, and sell online. This is farming 3.0!
What You Can Do Right Now
For women farmers: Join farming groups in your area, learn to use your smartphone for agricultural information, and don’t hesitate to negotiate better prices for your crops. Start documenting your farming knowledge – the techniques you use, the varieties you grow, the problems you solve. This information is valuable and could help other women farmers in your region.
For men: Start by respecting your wife’s farm work as real labor, share both decision-making and money from harvests, and help women in your family access training programs. Consider that your wife might have agricultural knowledge that could improve your own farming operations. Listen to her insights about soil conditions, plant health, and market timing.
For young people: Balance your social media time with learning about agriculture, help your parents embrace technology for farming, and seriously consider agricultural business opportunities. The future of Cameroon’s food security might depend on your generation finding innovative ways to support and scale up women’s agricultural contributions.
For policymakers and development organizations: Stop designing agricultural programs around the assumption that men are the primary farmers. Start by actually talking to the women doing the work, understanding their constraints, and designing solutions that address their real needs rather than what you think they need.
The Bottom Line
Cameroonian women have been feeding the nation forever. It’s time we give them credit for it. They’re not asking for charity – just recognition and equal opportunities.
Cameroon’s agriculture can’t grow if we ignore 70% of our farmers. That’s just wasteful!
So next time you enjoy your plantains, ndole, or any Cameroonian dish, think of Mama Sarah and millions like her. They’re the real queens of agriculture.
What are you doing to help?
Understanding Cameroon: Africa’s Agricultural Powerhouse in Miniature
Cameroon isn’t just another African country – it’s literally “Africa in miniature.” This Central African nation of 27 million people packs incredible diversity into its 475,000 square kilometers. From the tropical rainforests of the South to the semi-arid savanna of the Far North, Cameroon has every African climate zone you can imagine.
Geography That Shapes Everything
The country’s agricultural story is written in its landscape. The volcanic soils around Mount Cameroon (West Africa’s highest peak at 4,095m) create some of the continent’s most fertile farmland. The Adamawa Plateau in the center is perfect for cattle ranching, while the coastal plains grow everything from cocoa to oil palm.
This diversity means a woman farmer in humid Douala faces completely different challenges than her sister in dry Maroua, 1,200 kilometers north.
The Economic Reality
Agriculture employs over 60% of Cameroon’s workforce and contributes about 20% to GDP. The country is:
- Africa’s 4th largest cocoa producer (after Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria)
- 5th largest coffee producer in Africa
- A major exporter of bananas, cotton, and rubber
Yet here’s the paradox: this agricultural giant imports 60% of its rice and struggles with food security in northern regions.
Cultural Context That Matters
Cameroon has over 250 ethnic groups speaking 270+ languages. Each group has unique farming traditions:
- Bamileke people (Western Cameroon): Master traders and innovative farmers who’ve perfected small-scale intensive agriculture
- Fulani herders (Northern regions): Traditional cattle keepers adapting to climate change
- Beti-Ewondo (Central/South): Forest farmers who’ve cultivated cocoa for over a century
- Sawa people (Coastal): Fish farming and rice cultivation specialists
Colonial Legacy Still Hurting Today
Cameroon was split between British and French colonial rule, creating a bilingual nation that’s 80% French-speaking and 20% English-speaking. Colonial agriculture focused on:
- Massive cocoa and coffee plantations
- Export crops over food security
- Male-dominated cash crop systems
- Neglect of women’s food production
This colonial model still shapes modern agriculture, explaining why women do most food production but men control cash crops and land ownership.
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