Demographics of Smallholder Sugarcane Farmers in Five Regions of Cameroon

Aim: This paper highlights the demographics of smallholder sugarcane farmers in Cameroon as well as a gender perspective and its implications.

Place of Study: Five regions of Cameroon representing the five agro-ecological zones of the country.

Methodology: A baseline survey was carried out through one-on-one structured interviews with 212 sugarcane farmers including farm visits for observational assessments. Key informants were delegates of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in all the regions surveyed.

Results: The South West region had the highest number of sugarcane farmers. The majority of all farmers were males, between the age group 30 - 50 years. The majority of the farmers interviewed received formal education. The literacy level was highest in the South West region (100%) and lowest in the North region (13%). 15.6% farmers had much experience in sugarcane farming. Three quarters of the sugarcane farmers were full-time farmers. However, less than one quarter devoted more time on sugarcane farming. 35.4% of the farmers inherited the land on which their sugarcane farms were established and 34% purchased theirs. For those who inherited their farmland, 27.8% were males whereas 7.7% were females. For those who purchased land, 28.2% were males whereas 5.7% were females.

Conclusion: Considering the results obtained, if sugarcane farmers could be provided with the right incentives such as subvention from the government and stabilization of the price of sugarcane, they would double their present productivity and this would go a long way to circumvent the issue of sugar scarcity and price hike in the country. Gender inequality was portrayed for all demographic characteristics studied. However, women could be the pillar on which increased sugarcane production is based if they could have secure rights on the land they cultivate, access to credit, as well as inputs such as fertilizers, irrigation, technology, information on new agricultural practices, and marketing infrastructure.