Addressing Sustainability Strategies and Agricultural Productivity: Farmers Based Evidence in Tubah Sub-Division North West Region, Cameroon

Abstract

Agriculture has become the backbone of most developing countries in the world, especially Tubah Sub-Division North West region, Cameroon. Following the COVID-19 pandemic and socio-political crisis that hit Cameroon’s economy, there has been a steady increase in food insecurity, which has paved the way for farmers to adopt some sustainable strategies to boost agricultural productivity. Therefore, in trying to find models for survival and the pursuit of growth, farmers adopted some traditional farming methods and the use of local input as a means of sustainability. This study specifically seeks to analyze the effect of sustainability strategies on agricultural productivity in Tubah sub-division North West Region, Cameroon. The data was elicited via a survey questionnaire administered to 202 participating farmers selected from the different farmer organizations in the Tubah sub-division. Using cluster-sampling approach, proximity villages were grouped into four clusters of villages, and stratified sampling was used to select farmers to participate in the study. The objective of the study was achieved using OLS and quantile regression estimation techniques. The result showed evidence that the sustainability strategies implemented by the farmers decreased agricultural productivity in the 25th quantile, and at the 50th and 75th quantile, agricultural productivity still declined. This decline is because of unsustainable agricultural strategies like the use of slash and burn, the use of chemical fertilizers, inadequate capital, low level of education, inadequate farming experience, inadequate income, inadequate farm size, and the type of technology used for farming. Based on the findings, this study recommends that the government should organize training programs and seminars, subsidize farm inputs, grant agricultural loans to farmers, and initiate and support mechanized agriculture to boost agricultural productivity.