Global Partnership Tower Vol 32 Issue 1 By Arrey Ivo

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Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012

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Tower
Global Partnership

A Publication of African Centre for Community
and Development.
P.O.Box 181, Limbe, Cameroon
http://youtube.com/user/AfricanCentreforCom
http://www.africancentreforcommunity.com

Professionals in project and programme
management, sustainable development,
poverty alleviation schemes, research and
development, environmental sustainability,
sustainable livelihoods, communication,
Agriculture, social capital mobilization, Green
Economic schemes, audio-visual schemes for
development, strategic management.,
communication, event management, rural
development, Poultry, etc.

We accept partnerships and professional

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Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012

Global Partnership Tower Enhancing our vision on ink, prints and Electronics
African Centre for Community and Development has advocated over time a culture
of translating development management to the relevant scenarios of communities
and needs. We have interviewed stakeholders from all areas of the various levels of
communities and have worked with experts where the areas are grey to arrive at
holistic inroads in our interventions as well as in the contributions we regularly
give to our collaborators and networks. The goal has not only been to educate but
to make development sustainable and replicable hence the reason why our newslet-
ter “Global Partnership Tower” and our inclusive workshops or radio programmes
have been tailored to meet most vulnerable sub-populations.
After some redesigning coupled with a reality to meet more diverse users in devel-
opment, this edition of Global Partnership Tower and many more to come will
merge professional and field experiences with the voices of stakeholders to arrive
at a comprehensive picture needed for long lasting development in still developing
communities in Cameroon, Africa, Asia and the world.
Poverty and the strategies to fight poverty remain an attractive unavoidable dimen-
sion as well as food security or the need to manage our environment and resources
sustainably.
The need to expose people and organizations who are bridging the gaps and ine-
qualities in our world remain a focus as well as our forthright assertion towards
educating the masses on best ways to empower themselves. We incidentally benefit
from this medium by highlighting the thrust of African Centre for Community and
Development so that relevant stakeholders worldwide will see the best ways to sup-
port our initiatives or to network, partner or collaborate with us. This is vital as in a
resource scarce globe cross-organizational learning and resource sharing remain
the best proven techniques for achieving stability and growth. So we welcome
ideas and tools that will help us achieve our goal.
In this edition we shall discuss issues related to poultry farming, the just recently
celebrated World Women’s Day and many more. To us women are intrinsic to any
meaningful development and they must be highlighted .
We hope you enjoy this edition and subsequent editions and can contribute articles
on development that can be replicable or that can better the stations of our human
family. Geography should not be a limitation as we are flexible and willing to in-
clude innovative strategies to our fabric for sustainable change.
Thank you.
Arrey Mbongaya Ivo (Left)
Director of African Centre for Community and
Development.
Editor in Chief at Global Partnership Tower
Email: ivo@africancentrecommunity.com

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Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012

Global Partnership Tower Women celebrated their Day in Cameroon and talked to African Centre for
Community and Development.

Mrs Etta Manyi Stella (left) advocated for a
more just society in which women will not
be discriminated and left to stay unem-
ployed just by being women.
She decried the general lack of employment
of women but did not hesitate to fill in that
they will after all be celebrating their Day.
Interview is courtesy of Arrey Mbongaya
Ivo. Full video edition will be published
soon.

The representative from
CAYAD NGO (left) talked
about including women in gov-
ernance and threw light about
their intervention to increase
women participation in upcom-
ing elections in Cameroon.
This she told African Centre
for Community and Develop-
ment will put more women in
the decision making processes
of the country. Interview cour-
tesy Arrey Mbongaya Ivo
Full video interview will be
Published soon.

Woman from apostolic church of Cameroon calls Towe Farmer asserted women were pivotal to the
for prayers to redeem deviant men who do not sup- growth of their given societies.
port their women

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Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012

Global Partnership Tower A look at Women in their Celebrations...by Arrey Mbongaya Ivo

Women in Cameroon usually rise against the short falls of their constrains to celebrate the
international Day put aside for Women worldwide. So was the case in 2012. They however
did not celebrate the Day forgetting about issues related to gender equality and empowerment
which in many areas is unequal.
Social, cultural and political instruments within the state are still dominated by men in many
ways despite the fact that the country has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all
forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and its Optional Protocol.
There are still grave inequalities that need to be addressed:
The ratios of boys and girls in primary, secondary and tertiary education remains unfavour-
able to the latter. More so Cameroonian women represented just 7.8% of paid workers out of
the agricultural sector in 2001. A number that seriously justifies the calls by women groups
for more employment and inclusion in the country.
Besides certain customary practices have not favoured women. Land rights and even owner-
ship is many times mediated by systems that favour men. This is not to say that systems that
practice matrilineal succession like among the Kom in the North West of the country do not
exist but it is rather a general zoom of the many more women who will like to be governed
by a more just national system which will respect them for who they are.
In the health sector there is disparity in the mortality rates between young girls and boys
which cannot be totally separated from preferential treatment allocated to boys in many cul-
tural systems.
In the legislature of 1992-1996 women held just 12.8% of the seats. This number dropped to
5.2% in 1997-2001 and 10.6% in 2002 and 2006. These numbers arguably are small for a
country where women are the majority.
Despite this picture much is being done to improve the condition of women in the country.
With the passing of the 1990 Liberty Laws , many Civil Society Organizations have been
formed by both men and women that advocate for the rights and inclusion of women sub-
populations in Cameroon.
Also access to anti-retroviral drugs for pregnant women is basically free while more schools
have built across the country to raise entry across different levels for many Cameroonians.
These movements need to be more vigorous in order that women entrepreneurs will spring up
to add value to the economy. More women working
will also impact on the GDP of the country and fa-
vour a positive balance of payment. These move-
ments are vital if MDG3 for Cameroon is to be
achieved and if women empowerment is a priority
for Cameroon and Africa.
(Left) Women farmer around Mile 4
Bonadikombo area interviewed by
African Centre for Community and
Development on the impact of climate
change on their trade. Picture cour-
tesy Arrey Mbongaya Ivo
Copyrights2012 All rights reserved.

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Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012

Global Partnership Tower African Centre for Community and Development Fowls
Due to a persistent issue of poverty and low access to proteins in Cameroon and Sub-Saharan
Africa, African Centre for Community and Development has decided to take poultry farming
and village poultry in particular to new levels.
The intention is to provide alternatives to expensive red meat, scarce goats and pigs in order to
improve wellbeing in a region affected by diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis etc.
This meant a study of traditional poultry and modern systems and the design of a strategy to
better local systems through capacity building of farmers via knowledge sharing, research and
via collaboration and networking.
Today African Centre for Community and Development is producing village poultry in an in-
dustrial scale and is performing specialized services like incubation from locally manufactured
incubators at the organization, as well as engineering and propagating giant fowls in order to
replace the already vulgarized fowl species that give little meat and eggs to their owners and
hence impact little in households affected by poverty and unemployment.
African Centre for Community and Development has developed breeders that meet both an
economic, social and aesthetic dimension.
However poultry farming has not rested only on chicken. The organization is also dealing in
turkey farming and can boast birds that can reach up to 15 kilos. It also produces quails who
lay eggs known be very medicinal and rich in healthy proteins vital to improve resilience
against diseases.
It also hopes that its special beautiful chicken will be adopted by organizations and individuals
within and outside in a programme where adoption will lead to a token contribution to the or-
ganization and also facilitate the vulgarization of giant species within Cameroon and Africa.
Egg laying is very pivotal in this kind of venture and that is why our breeders are also layers
who can give us fertilized eggs for incubation and eggs for the market.
After all these, our drive will be to take our incubators to another level. They will become so-
lar-engineered so that communities can own them easily. Even now they are affordable as they
are essentially made from recycled material and modern technologies that guarantee good regu-
lation of humidity and temperature during incubation and hatching.
We call on powerful and interested stakeholders to support us as we reshape history positively
in Cameroon and Africa. Adaptable technologies remain the best hope for Africa.

Research and Development Assistant Nzongang J.B. (above left) at the African Centre for Community and
Development working to produce one of the incubators at the organization.
Turkeys at the African Centre for Community and Development. They have kept their maternal instincts
intact. (Above right). Please visit next page for more pictures of our poultry activities.

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Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012

Global Partnership Tower
The Making of Local Incubators at the African Centre for Community and Development

Supporting us vulgarize our incubators among village communities will buttress forever access
To proteins in Cameroon and Africa. Help us launch One village One incubator scheme so that
we can improve livelihoods and empower communities. Help us fight hunger and malnutrition.

The incubators are created with automatic rotation system for eggs, for regulating temperature
And humidity etc. They are created to be powered by affordable energy.

Some of our incubators can take up to 2000 and more eggs. Expanding on fowl production for
eggs is vital and we invite funding stakeholders and partners to support us in these areas.

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Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012

Poultry Activities at the African Centre for Community and Development

(Above left) Poultry man Sunday shows a healthy Turkey. (Above right) newly hatched
quails at the centre. They will grow to provide needed eggs to the community.

(Above left) Our Giant Breeders and layers. (Above right) newly hatched chicks. They will
grow into giants and layers. In order to improve access to proteins

(Above left) Chicks growing fast. (Above right) Arrey Mbongaya Ivo (Director) of African
Centre for Community and Development with some fowls.

(Above left) Slightly older fowls. Just about 8 weeks old. (Above right) Arrey Mbongaya Ivo
operates one of our dynamic incubators. Support our initiatives. Thank you.

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Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012
Organic Pest And Disease Control in Cabbages by Assam Conrad.
Cabbage is a leafy vegetable that is largely consumed in Cameroon. It tastes good and has a rich
vitamin and mineral content. It is widely grown in cooler regions of the country. Typical cab-
bage growing communities include Santa in the northwest and Foumban, Foumbot, Dschang
and Balessing in the West. A small quantity is also grown around Buea in the South
West .cabbages do not only serve as a source of food but also serve as a veritable source of in-
come to the communities that cultivate them. Some businessmen also earn their living by trad-
ing in cabbages. It goes without saying that pests and diseases control has an important role to
play in the yield of cabbages. As at present, this control is largely dominated by inorganic meth-
ods. Inorganic control methods are largely disadvantageous to farmers and to the environment.
Some of the pesticides and insecticides when applied in the wrong doses may also be hazard-
ous. Organic pests and disease control on the other hand, is done with the help of cheap, natu-
rally and locally available items. Moreover, organic control is environment-friendly. Applica-
tion at high doses in most cases will cause no harm to the cabbages, to the farmer or to the envi-
ronment. The objective of our paper therefore is to encourage organic pests and diseases control
in cabbages. To do this, we will examine how to identify cabbage pest and disease in our garden
and how to eliminate them organically. We will base our work on general pests control and on
cabbage worms.
For a general organic pest control in a cabbage garden, mix 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to 2
teaspoons of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of powdered laundry soap in one gallon of water.
Shake thoroughly and spray directly into the pests. Continue to spray until the pests’ populations
are eliminated.
We will look at the case of cabbage worm from two angles namely identification and control.
It is very important for organic vegetable gardeners to be able to identify the presence of cab-
bage worms in their garden in order to fight back. There are two ways to do so.
The first method is by observing the presence of the cabbage white butterfly. It is the adult stage
of the cabbage worm and its presence should cause farmers to suspect the presence of cabbage
worms as well. The second method of identification is to check for the presence of the larva and
the eggs. The larva which is the form that does the actual damage. It is a velvety green, inch-
worm-type caterpillar. Observe the cabbage leaves carefully and inspect cabbage for any cab-
bage worms that have made their way to the interior of the heads. The eggs are found beneath

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Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012
the leaves and are yellow and oval shaped.
To control cabbage worms, destroy any cabbage white butterfly found around your garden
through physical methods to avoid the multiplication of the eggs which will eventually hatch
into killer cabbage worms. Also destroy any eggs found .To prevent the worms from burrowing
into more cabbage heads, insert each head into a nylon stocking, and leave it on until you har-
vest the head. If you have serious infestations, purchase Bacillus thuringiensis (organic sub-
stance) and apply it according to the directions.
To conclude cabbages are of wide nutritional and economic importance as they are widely con-
sumed and traded upon. Inorganic pest and disease control in cabbages involve the use of indus-
trial chemicals that may be expensive to local cabbage gardeners. Their application may also
cause some environmental hazards. Organic pest and disease control on the other hand improves
upon the standard of living of cabbage growers and the community at large by lowering the cost
of pest and disease control while ensuring a healthier environment. By exposing these simple
techniques, we are encouraging organic pest and disease control in cabbages.

(Left) Assam Conrad, Volunteer Field
Assistant at the African Centre for

(Right) Cabbage Farm in Bambili,
North West Cameroon during an in-
vestigation by the African Centre for

Global Partnership Tower 10
Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012
The Impact of Ankara on Agricultural Productivity by Assam Conrad
Global food crisis is a key topic for discussion in many international meetings and media nowa-
days. Every community and nation is contributing its own quota in resolving this problem.
Cameroon is equally a part of this global effort. In order for us to make any meaningful contri-
bution, we must avoid or modernize old and archaic farming methods characterized by the use
of rudimentary tools, shifting cultivation and the burning of grass. The making of Ankara which
is widely practiced in the savanna region of Cameroon is a typical example .Ankara is the burn-
ing of grass under the soil. Most local farmers have remained adamant to stopping this practice
irrespective of the numerous efforts by the state and civil society organizations. Our concern
therefore is to find out why indigenous communities still hold strong to this practice, the conse-
quences of such a practice on agricultural productivity and the possible solutions.
Local farmers are holding tight to the making of Ankara for a number of reasons. According to
the wife of the Fon of Nsongwa, a village situated close to Bali in the Northwest whom we met
during one of our field visits, local farmers stick to Ankara with the believe that ash from burn-
ing grass helps improve crop yields , especially in egusi and pumpkins. Other local farmers be-
lieve that Ankara is an effective means to fight weeds such as elephant grass that proves to be
very stubborn.
The consequences of practicing Ankara are far more devastating on the contrary. One of such
consequences is that the process of burning destroys beneficial insects such as parasitic wasps
that improve plant health by eating up harmful pests.
More so, the heat from burning also kills nitrogen fixing bacteria found in the soil. Such bacteria
convert atmospheric nitrogen into soil nitrates much needed by plants. Earthworm whose impor-
tance in improving soil fertility cannot be undermined is also killed in the process.
More over, Ankara is usually prepared in the months of January and February when both grass
and the soil are still very dry to make burning and tilling easier. Though burning takes place un-
der the soil, the possibility of fire jumping into a nearby farm cannot be completely overruled. If
it thus happens, productivity may be seriously affected if on-growing crops such as cassava and
plantain are burnt down.
Besides, Ankara further makes the soil very dry and reduces its ability to retain humus and can
easily be washed away by run-offs. Soil leaching is also an eminent setback .This is the reason
why farmland prepared by the use of Ankara cannot be cultivated for more than three consecu-

Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012
tive years. The resulting effect is shifting cultivation, another outdated farming method .All
these consequences tend to affect agricultural productivity adversely. Poor harvests lead little
money for households and skipping of certain children especially girls.
Finding a solution to stop the use of Ankara may not be easy because it is connected to the men-
tality of the local farmers most of whom are very conservative in their ideas. However, a possi-
ble solution is to organize the farmers into groups and prescribe an alternative but similar farm-
ing method while providing them with farm inputs and guiding them in the process. Working in
a group compels the member s of the group to work according to the guidelines set down by the
group. Also a farmer field school will help educate the farmers on better methods to engage in
their farms and also help to provide them with necessary inputs for higher yields. When farmers
are being provided with inputs, they will be forced to practice the alternative methods.
Another solution may be to encourage the farmers to keep animals while cultivating crops in
order that the animal dung can provide the natural manure they seek from Ankara .They can
deal with elephant grass by digging deep and removing all the roots and destroying them by
burning on one defined spot on the farmland.
In conclusion, the whole idea of Ankara is a purely traditional one. It does not improve or sus-
tain the soil’s fertility. Thus productivity is not improved as well. Therefore it is necessary to
implement measures capable of discouraging the use of Ankara while proposing another farm-
ing method such as organic farming with cheap and readily available inputs such as animal dung
and fowl droppings for use as fertilizers in order to improve output and better food security in
the region.

(Above left) the practice of Ankara. (Above right) The wife of the Fon Nsongwa working
with her kids. She was interviewed by African Centre for Community and Development .

Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012

Other Pictures of Women during Recent Women’s Day
Celebrations in Cameroon

Women march at the Middle Farms Field in Limbe. Pictures courtesy of Arrey Mbongaya Ivo

Above left: Bafaka Women’s Leader talking to African Centre for Community and Development .
Above Right: Arrey Mbongaya Ivo (Director) of African Centre for Community and Development
Interviewing civil society activist on women issues...

Happy Exchanges during Women’s Day 2012. Pictures courtesy of Arrey Mbongaya Ivo

Global Partnership Tower 13 Vol 32 Issue I 27/04/2012
African Centre for Community and Development is online. Join our
many discussions and contact us for a more firm working relationship.

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/African-Centre-for-Community-and-
Development/103686769685856

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http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Holistic-Approach-Sustainable-Development-HASD-2998648

Our Main Page:

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http://community.eldis.org/falcazo

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Now you know our platforms and have an idea of what we do. We encourage partnerships, col-
laboration and funding to help us reach a bigger audience. Together we can be bigger.

Emails
ivo@africancentreforcommunity.com
ivoemmanuelarrey@yahoo.com

This is an exclusive work of the African
Centre for Community and Development.
Copyrights 2012. All rights Reserved.

Global Partnership Tower Vol 32 Issue 1 By Arrey Ivo

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