Conservation Farming Workshop and Field Demonstration Plot conducted by Allan Sorflaten, PAg and CESO volunteer in Bana, an area in Northwest Cameroon suffering from infertile soil and food insecurity. Under the leadership of Integrated Development Foundation, Bamenda, farming groups met to choose representatives to attend the workshops.

1. Conservation Farming
Capacity Building In Cameroon, Africa
Part One: Bana/West Region
By
Allan & Lydia Sorflaten
In Collaboration With
Integrated Development Foundation (IDF)
Bamenda, Cameroon
Oct.- Dec./2012

2. - Pre-Departure -
Meet In Winnipeg With Canada Food Grains Bank
(October 2012)

3. OVERVIEW OF CONSERVATION
AGRICULTURE
Conservation
Agriculture
Minimum Soil
Disturbance
Permanent Soil Cover Crop Rotations
“Canada Food Grains Bank Is Advocate For Conservation
Agriculture in Africa”

4. Develop Conservation Agriculture Study Guide for
Farmer Field Schools (Pre-Departure Research)

5. From Nova Scotia, Canada
to Cameroon, Africa
Nova Scotia
Cameroon
Oct. 29- Dec. 15, 2012

6. . Befang/Wum
. Bana
Headquartered in
Bamenda With
Projects in Villages
of Bana &
Befang/Wum
Lydia - Monitor Completion of GS Illum School Improvement (Truro Rotary Club) Near Wum.
- Health and Nutrition Workshop Seminars at Bana and Bamenda.
Allan – Conservation Farming Workshop Seminars and Farmer Field Schools at
Bana (in Western Region) and Befang (in Northwestern Region).

7. Mme. Oussematou of IDF
Dynamic & Determined/Caring & Compassionate
----- A Powerful Personality Who Gets Things Done ----- !

8. Strategic Planning
Mme. Oussematou Knows Importance
of Covering All Her Bases
---- Networking With Government Ministry of
Agriculture and Other Officials -----

9. Our Hotel in Bana (Bafang)

10. Bana Hospital Administrator (To Lydia’s Right) and
Ministry of Agriculture Representative to Left
The Administrator is a Qualified Nurse and Excellently Assisted
With Lydia’s Two Day Nutrition Workshop Here In Bana.

11. Networking With Pastor Moses of Cameroon Baptist
Convention in Bana
Pastor Moses Trained in Veterinary Science in Nigeria

12. Pastor Moses Arrives at First Meeting of Young Farmers
Group to Select Workshop Participants in Bana

13. Young Farmers’ Group Selects
Participants To Attend Farmer
Field School

14. These Four Are Selected By the Group

15. The Young Farmers Group From Bana

16. Participants Also Selected From
Womens’ Community Group at Bana

17. Two Workshop Participants Selected From Pastor
Moses’ Church Group In Bana

18. The Integrated Development Foundation (IDF)
4th Floor North West Co-op Building, Bamenda

19. Doing Further Workshop Preparations at
IDF Bamenda Office

20. Le Domaine de la Containment Externe
Le Domaine de la Containment de l’Eau
Muraille de la Roche
Domaine de la Culture
Including Preparation of 75 CA Laminated Display
Posters For Workshop Use

21. Le Contrôle d’Erosion au Cameroun
(containment de l’eau avec un muraille des roches)
“Along With Posters, Sequence of Applicable Photos From Internet”

22. Other Preparations/Photocopy,
Collate, Bind 35 Copies Each of 2 Handbooks
Assisted by IDF Staff/Terrence and Falimatou
In Both English
and French

23. This is Late Sat. Evening/We Leave For Bana EarlyTomorrow

24. M
“May We Leave
Soon -Matou?”
PPPpp
“Plus Tard
Mon Homme
Français.”

27. It’s 10:30 p.m. and
We’re Out of Here!

28. ---and off we go to the Sister Rose Restaurant ---

29. Facilities For Washing
Up Are Quite Basic

30. Tired and Satisfied!
(“But We’ve Only Just Begun”)

31. Next Morning Car is Packed For Bana By 9:30

32. Car Donated to IDF By Oussematou’s Sister in Paris

33. By Late Sunday Evening We Finally Arrive
at the Workshop Venue in Bana

34. Workshop Venue

35. A Power InterruptionThere Is

36. So, Guess What Happens
To This Voltage Regulator?
“It Fries of Course”!
Then a Surge of Current From the Generator

37. Food Supply Is Precarious Around Bana
Dinner Time at Hotel Bana

38. This Corn Crop in Bana is Stunted and The
Yellowing Shows Nutrient Deficiencies

39. Highly Leached Tropical Soils
Vulnerable to Effects of Long Term Erosion and
Poor Cropping Practices

40. Besides Corn Other Affected Crops Are Legumes
(Peas, Beans and Groundnuts Or Peanuts)

41. Gate to Palace Grounds of Traditional Chief or King
(Facing the Bana Market)

42. Inadequate Supplies of Food at the Bana Market

43. Provides Custom Service to a Few Vendors

44. Production Volumes of Ground Nuts (Peanuts)
Especially Has Declined in Recent Years

45. Marie-Claire is Workshop Participant From Bana

47. Conservation Agriculture and Farm Field
School Workshop (Village of Bana)

48. First Morning of Three Day Conservation
Farming Workshop

49. Participants Appreciate the CF Study Guides

50. Participants Also Appreciate the
Notebooks and Pen Handouts

51. Jean Waoupi From Division of Agriculture Translates
Into Local Dialect

52. Participants Make Good Use of Digital Technology

53. Practical Demonstrations Introduce Basic Principles

54. Show Differences Btw. Various Soil Types

55. Philip From Agriculture Delegation Trained in Soil
Science. Knows His Stuff!

57. --- And Now --- to the Farm Field School

58. Planting and Other Materials

59. Laying Out the Site

60. Marking the Spots For Planting Holes (les Trous)
(Emphasis on Leaving Previous Crop Residue Btw. Rows)

61. Digging Planting Holes With the Hoe

62. Applying Fertilizer (Dried Poultry Manure)
From Bafoussam

63. Why the Mask?

66. Cassava Stems Selected For Planting

67. Participants Discuss Whether to Plant Cassava Stems
Vertically or Horizontal?

68. ---- and Roger Recommends ----
“Plant the Cassava Stems Vertical”

70. Workshop Rules Call For the Group to Appoint a
Reporter and Summarize Each Day’s Proceedings

71. Bana Farm Field School Participants

72. Marie-Claire Brings Special Treat (Roast Corn)

73. Signing Completion
Certificates

74. Certificates of Completion Are Proudly Displayed

75. Special Acknowledgments & Good Bye
Celebrations at Bana (Dec. 2012)
The 1st and 2nd Gentlemen Front Row Left and the Two Ladies 2nd Row Right (2nd and 3rd in
from Oussematou who is in Green Dress) Are Special Guests of IDF at this Event. They
Certainly Represent and Testify to the Humanitarian Role Played By IDF in the Cameroon.

76. Time to Say Goodbye

77. CAMEROON
CONSERVATION FARMING
END OF PART ONE