Impacts of Climate Variability and Change on Banana Yields in the CDC- Delmonte Banana Project, Tiko, South West Region, Cameroon

Climate variability and change are existing sets of conditions which affect crop productivity. An evaluation of their impacts on banana yield in the CDC-DelMonte Banana Project at Tiko is fundamental in conceiving adaptation strategies towards coping with, and minimizing their deleterious impacts for maximum productivity within the present trends on global climate change. An assessment of records of past climatic data (rainfall and temperatures) recorded within three zones ( Mondoni, Tiko and Benoe ) of the Project from 1990 to 2010 indicated decreasing trends in total annual rainfall and increasing trends in averaged annual temperatures in the Mondoni and Tiko zones while the Benoe Zone showed increasing rainfall and decreasing temperatures. An evaluation of banana productivity per unit hectare indicated decreasing trends in all three zones. Nematode infestations (Radopholus sp, Hoploilaimus sp) were found to be more prevalent in the Tiko Zone followed by Mondoni with mean maximum temperatures for March 2011 of 34.0oC and 32.2oC, respectively, while the Benoe Zone with a mean maximum temperature of 27.2oC was least. This indicates that nematode populations are favoured by decreased rainfall and increased temperatures. Consequently, the prevailing increasing trends of temperature locally and globally, and the general decrease in total annual rainfall with time are causes for future concern in banana production and nematode infestation in particular in the study area.Keywords: Tiko, CDC-Delmonte, climate change, climate variability, banana productivity, nematode infestation, adaptation strategie

The effects of different gender harvesting practices on mangrove ecology and conservation in Cameroon

Wood harvesting is an important source of income and a direct threat to mangrove forests in West-Central Africa. To understand the effects of this activity on mangrove ecology, it is necessary to assess harvesting practices of local communities. Knowledge on those is scarce for this region; we therefore examined implications of gender roles on the sustainability of mangrove forests in the South West Region (SWR), Cameroon. Socio-economic surveys, focus group discussions and forest inventories were used for the assessments. Mangroves in the studied sites were dominated by Rhizophora racemosa. The Simpson's diversity index did not vary significantly between exploitation levels. The current harvesting style by women (compared with men) is characterised by a larger working area but closer to home and more seasonal, intensive harvesting of smaller trees. This enhances mangrove ecosystem degradation, whereby the effect is exacerbated because of the catalytic harvesting practices of men (less frequent, small scale, selective harvesting of larger trees). To help sustain mangroves in this region, further research on wood harvesting practices and implications for factors affecting growth is essential. To improve harvesting strategies, communities need to be provided with alternative sources of livelihood and educated on the values of mangroves and regeneration techniques. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe