Our Mission
The mission of Key Farmers Cameroon is to mobilize adequate financial, material and human resources in order to come up with sustainable community projects in education, WASH, health, agriculture, micro-credit etc; while striving to improve the conditions of our members and other needy groups in rural Cameroon. KFC has specialists in agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, livestock, microfinance and education. These experts reach out to our rural communities to offer programs on modern farming technologies, vocational education and training, nutrition and health education, income-generating activities, financial management education etc; so that our members and non-members may use the acquired knowledge and skills to improve their standards of living.
Our Vision
Key Farmers Cameroon achieves its goal by strengthening members and community farmer groups and individuals through capacity-building techniques and by stimulating innovations that empowers them in boosting agricultural production and income, thereby fulfilling their dreams of hunger and poverty alleviation in their households and communities.
Our Objectives
Our Promise
To empower our members and communities in agro-industrial technologies, climate change reduction and sustainable development while striving to support these trained personnel in wealth creation, employment creation and sustainable livelihood projects.
Our Programs
Our Promise
WASH
Micro-credit
Protection in Emergencies
Vocational Education and Training
Food sustainability
Biochar + Climate Action
Income – generating initiatives
Our Experience
Key Farmers Cameroon has a rich background in farming and agriculture project implementation and management and since 2004 has trained over 15000 smallholder farmers in sustainable diversification farming systems, food processing, agricultural research, commodity marketing, biochar and agroforestry technology, food security promotion, climate education etc, using its own resources and support from funding partners. Our achievements over the years can be seen as followings
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- As at 2022, Key Farmers Cameroon and CarbonFace Canada signed a MOU to work and promote biochar for environmental protection and economic development. During this time, CarbonFace provided funding, and also donated biochar cookstoves to KFC members. This would help them produce more biochar, increase crops production and obtain carbon credits.
- From 2017 to 2020 KFC trained more than 250 students and supported over 50 graduates in job creation and self-employment. This is improving the livelihood of unemployed youths thus stoping them from taking dangerous routes to Europe, U.S Or Asia for risky ventures.
- Most recently, in the year 2020, the government of Cameroon, through the ACEFA project which is managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER), a grant was awarded to KFC to set up a cassava project for smallholder farmers in the village of Kurume, in Kumba municipality. The production, processing and marketing of cassava is reducing food insecurity in the community and at same time helping the poor flourish.
- Under the sponsorship of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary (PTS) Kumba,in 2016 KFC trained 120 students and staff of the institution on modern agroforestry farming techniques. The project is presently helping trained pastors and staff of PTS to increase impacts in their different congregations in Cameroon.
- Between 2016 and 2018, KFC partnered with Carleton University and Viresco Solutions to conduct a research study on the impacts of biochar production and use on women’s livelihoods, labour, income and responsibilities. This study was unique in that most biochar studies only consider gender roles peripherally. Through this project KFC has gained a better understanding on how to improve its programs and shown leadership in the comprehensiveness of its approach. Members of KFC in Kake and Kendem who participated in the project are now producing and using biochar in growing nutritious food crops and for forest restoration. The project is also helping them in using the acquired skills in generating financial benefits for themselves and their households.
- Key Farmers Cameroon has recently become the focal organization of the Kumba Innovation Platform, a Humidtropics program led by IITA and other research organisations such as: ICRAF, World Vegetable Centre, IRAD, CIRAD etc. The aim is to transform the lives of the rural poor in Cameroon. The Kumba Field – Site, organised several workshops and empowered their local population in the following domains: Sustainable diversification farming systems; Gender Equality, Communication skills, Leadership training; project management and proposal writing, food sustainability, Agroforestry; Capacity-building in vegetable production etc. The above education and training as well as research activities are helping members of the Kumba Innovation Platform to flourish.
- With funding from IDRC Canada, Key Farmers Cameroon organized the first ever Biochar Conference in Cameroon. This took place in Kumba in 2018 with over 120 participants in attendance. The Theme of the conference was: ‘Helping Biochar farmers and Researchers make the difference“ The conference was attended by students from the Community Specialisation Training School (CDSTS), Kumba, Agronomists from the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovations (MINRESI), politicians and of course farmers had the largest population. Lessons learned from the conference are now helping participants in implementing their own biochar projects in their communities.
- With funding grants from the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), in 2016, Key Farmers Cameroon introduced new cassava varieties to women Common Initiative Groups in Kumba. The project has increased cassava production, processing and commercialisation, thus helping smallholder farmers in alleviating hunger and poverty in their community.
- With request from Sunshine Ladies Common Initiative Group (CIG), for a training to help them develop more knowledge and skills in marketing of biochar, in 2018, Key Farmers Cameroon organized a training titled: ‘Biochar Women’s Entrepreneurship Training’ to support the CIG to drive biochar commercial in Cameroon.
- As of August 2014, the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) Yaounde in collaboration with Key Farmers Cameroon organized a Regional workshop on the training of trainers on good cocoa orchard practices. Over 30 cocoa producers from the South West Region attended. The cocoa workshop was a success in that it strengthened the capacities of cocoa farmers and widen their knowledge on the prevention of cocoa diseases, cocoa production and productivity, education on chemical application on cocoa, marketing strategies. The training workshop is presently witnessing an increase in farmers‘ incomes.
- To encourage the production, processing and marketing of domestic rice, in March 2014, through the U.S government funding (Feed the Future), Key Farmers Cameroon in collaboration with Minader, IRAD and U.S Peace Corps carried out a Rice Project in the Meme Division. Over 144 farmers were trained on Nerica upland rice cultivation, processing and marketing. Farmers are now using their acquired skills in producing rice for themselves. This has curtailed the high cost of rice from Asia, Europe and other rice producing countries to Cameroon. Poor smallholder farmers are now able to eat their own rice.
- Under the sponsorship of GIZ Maroua, Cameroon in 2012, Key Farmers Cameroon trained 45 nursery operators and tree farmers in the Far North Region on the production and use of biochar in tree planting and for the rehabilitation of degraded land in the region. Maroua is a Semi-desert town in the Far North Region of Cameroon where farmers are facing hard times in farming and agriculture. The above biochar project has provided a breakthrough and giving them a better future for food, income and increased living conditions.
- With support from the Biochar Fund, Belgium, in 2009 KFC completed the first ever biochar field trials in Africa in collaboration with 75 farm organisations, local municipalities and Cameroon’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The trials showed grain yields from fields treated with biochar were superior to fields that had been treated with organic and mineral fertilizers. The training has given additional skills to local farmers to increase agricultural production and productivity and to enjoy posterity as well.
