Enquête sur les cultures fruitières dans les exploitations familiales agricoles en zone humide du Cameroun

Abstract

Introduction. The lack of reliable and exhaustive data on fruit tree farming is a real constraint to the elaboration, as well as impact assessment, of a sound development strategy on fruit production. A survey was conducted on fruit trees in three locations (Bokito, Foréké and Yaoundé) in the humid zone of Cameroon. Materials and methods. Fruit tree farming was characterized by analyzing the producer status and the place of this speculation among the various activities conducted in the household. The various fruit tree species in orchards, number of plants, origin of planting material and age of trees, as well as production constraints were studied for a total of 193 family farms. Results and discussion. The heads of households (51 years old on average) are 90% males and have a relatively low education level. The diversity of fruit tree species varied with location. Orchard composition in terms of species was also variable, but four major species (African plums or Dacryodes edulis, oranges, mangoes and pears) constitute about 78% of the trees. This distribution globally matches preferences expressed by farmers for these species. Among these trees, young ones (< 10 years), which indicate a move in recent plantings, constitute on average (15, 21 and 38)% in Bokito, Foréké and Yaoundé, respectively. Nevertheless, important discrepancies among species and locations are observed and discussed. In terms of contribution to family food security, fruits ranked 1st, 2nd and 4th, respectively, in Bokito, Foréké and Yaoundé among other activities. Production constraints are from three main sources: phytosanitary (poor management of pests and diseases), agronomic (unimproved seedlings) and socioeconomic (land and input availability). Conclusion. Important data on fruit trees was obtained in the humid zone of Cameroon. The implications of these findings are discussed with the perspective of improving quality, quantity and sustainability of fruit production in the country. © 2006 Cirad/EDP Sciences. All rights reserved.