Cassava-farming student inspires friends and family in Cameroon
Growing cassava has brought Noah Adolphe success and respect in his village, about 50 kilometres from Yaounde (Cameroun)
Unlike many Cameroonian youths who finance their higher education with urban-area jobs, Noah Adolphe took up farming. Adolphe, now a 4th year student in political science at the University of Yaounde, obtained his first degree in 2005 and then headed to his village in Nlong, about 50 kilometres from Yaounde.
“I started off with a sweet potato farm but sales were poor and I had big post-harvest losses,” he says. “I switched to cassava on the advice of my uncle, Bala Tsang. He registered me in a common initiative group in Nkenglikok so I could benefit from IFAD support through the national Roots and Tubers Market-Driven Development Programme (PNDRT).”
With financial and technical assistance from PNDRT, Adolphe cultivated 2 hectares of cassava and used the profits from his cassava farm to cultivate an additional 2 hectares, this time with improved new varieties provided by the programme.
“Production and sales of the improved varieties are good because the crops suit the area and there is a ready market for cassava and cassava products like garri, water fufu and cassava flour,” says Adolphe. “Every week I make about FCFA 25,000 [US$50] from the sale of my crop.”
With the profits, Adolphe has been able to finance his education, assist his family members, and build a good house. He has been an inspiration to other young people in his village, inspiring six other youths to take up agricultural activities. As a result of his success, his farm has attracted several delegations of interested people, including local dignitaries and representatives from PNDRT, IFAD and the European Union.
“My friends didn’t believe it when I said I was coming to the village to do farming. Now they respect me,” Adolphe says.
As a graduate student, Adolphe commutes between Yaounde and Nlong, attending classes once a week and looking after his farm for the rest of the time. He says he will not abandon agriculture even if he gets a white-collar job in the city. His ambition now is to double his production and to buy equipment for processing cassava into flour, pellets, tapioca and extract starch.
As more and more people turn to cassava farming in Nlong, Adolphe has brought the farmers together under the banner of a common initiative group. He has opened a bank account for the group, which will help the members better manage their finances and give them the opportunity to benefit from assistance from the donor community.
6 August 2009
