Extensive groundwork has been laid to kick-start the Lebailem Research Centre in Upper Lewoh, Lebialem Division in the Southwest Region into a full-fledged scientific and technological research facility, and to exchange knowledge at local, national and international levels.
By Njumbe Peter Salle
The Centre aims at providing innovative technology in apiculture, seed bank development, livestock research, field demonstration, agro-tourism, liquid manure and insecticide production. It will work in close collaboration with the University of Dschang through exchange visits, research, partnerships, workshops and development.
The Centre will also engage in setting up a biogas project, a micro-hydro power facility, and fruit tree production and processing.
Agroforestry seeds will be processed, packaged and exported to other African countries especially the Sub-Saharan countries. This will go a long way to extend agroforestry technologies in Africa in particular and the world at large.
Apart from seed production, the centre will also serve as a vast field for on-site demonstration on alley cropping, forest gardening, among others.
The alleys will be pruned constantly and agroforestry tree branches deposited on the furrows to enrich the soils with natural nitrogenous fertilizers, which would be converted into free nitrate to be used by plants. This technique helps to enrich unproductive soils thereby increasing production on a relatively small piece of land over a short period of time. Fruit trees will also be incorporated in the fields.
Looking at animal research, the leaves of agroforestry trees such as Acacia, Lucaena, Calliandra will be transformed into fodders for ruminants and cattle. The agroforestry trees are also good breeding ground for bees, thereby promoting apiculture.
ERuDeF is a non-governmental organization with one of its missions being the restoration of fragile landscapes in Cameroon. The goal of the project is to contribute to sustainable development of biodiversity in protected areas in Cameroon, improve the livelihoods of resource poor farmers and ensure food security through agroforestry research and assist in the value chain development and marketing of agricultural and agroforestry products in program sites in Cameroon.
