Rainfall Softens the Soil for Mbengwi Farmers to Till

Rainfall Softens the Soil for Mbengwi Farmers to Till

With the coming of the rains this March 2020, farmers in Mbengwi have heaved a sigh of relief. Every morning, they are seen in their numbers criss crossing roads on bikes and foot to various farmlands for tilling.

Madam Jem Judith says "I am very happy with the coming of the rain because every crop I plant now will germinate" She lives in Tonmukomo and treks for at least 5km to her farmland in Mbeng-Chick. Environmentalists have been discouraging farmers from burning  farms before planting especially what is commonly called "Ankara", that it kills the soil yet the farmers think otherwise. Mbengwi Online met Madam Judith burning her farm and asked why? She said "Considering that it's groundnuts I have to plant here, if I don't burn the grass, it won't do well"

Women in Mbengwi Farming

Farming in Mbengwi is mostly done in the outskirts of the municipality in farmlands like Chaa, Tonefun, Tondam, Bessi Fomukong etc. While some work as individuals, others prefer working as a group. Markcentine Nji is of the 

Turewah Mixed Farming Group. She explained that in their group, they plant groundnuts, cassavas, yams, cocoyams etc. "At times we mix all on one farm and at time we plant each crop on a separate farm" she added. "The advantage we have in working together as a group is that much work is done successfully and planted immediately compared to being alone where one quickly gets tired and reluctant" she ended. 

Madam Rose Fonecho on her part corroborated the view of Markcentine by adding that apart from doing much work at once, the advantage in group farming is that as the crops are planted at once, so too do they uniformly germinate and grow. One would have expected dealers in farm inputs in Mbengwi to be making brisk business during this period but that's not the case. They say the Anglophone crisis has a negative effect on their business.

Findong Miran, Dealer in Farm Inputs

Mr. Findong Miran runs a farmer's shop in Mile 18. Explaining the effect of the crisis on his business, he said "Actually, seeds and fertilisers which we usually get from Bafoussam and Douala are on high demand now but the crisis is affecting supply because due to the nature of the roads and at times blockages plus lockdowns, the supply doesn't reach us on time and in effect, the farmers are crying"

While some farmers prefer the hills, others prefer the valleys. Up the hills of Njembeng, this reporter came across a group of Meta women farming and singing to ease their work. Asked why they like farming, they said farming makes them to live well in society and it's from it that they send their children to school and also feed well. Women in Mbengwi go to their farms with their children as a way of training them to also grow up to become farmers. 

Woman Planting Seeds

Mbengwi, chief town of Momo Division in the North West region of Cameroon is said to be a source of good quality palm oil, garri and water fufu. Because of the high dependence on farming for livelihood, the sub division hasn't witnessed any severe food shortage ever since the ongoing Anglophone Crisis started.

In the past, during such a farming season, the government through the ministry of agriculture and rural development used to donate seedlings, chemicals, sprayers and other inputs to farmers through registered farming groups and Common Initiative Groups (CIGs) but with the advent of the anglophone crisis, the farmers have seemingly been abandoned. The doors of the Momo Divisional and Mbengwi Sub Divisional delegations of agriculture are hardly open. Most if not all the workers in the delegation have relocated.

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