Integrated polder development to improve food security in coastal Cameroon

Agricultural production is low in coastal Cameroon, particularly in the country’s low-lying tracts of land enclosed by dikes that form an artificial hydrological system known as polders.

So, national institutes of Cameroon, nongovernment organizations, scientists from international projects and organizations, and donors have come up with an integrated plan of action to help improve the food security in coastal Cameroon. This was the result of the two-day workshop, Towards a better integration of R4D for improved food production systems in the coastal zone of Cameroon, which was conducted in Bangkok.

“Since the Ganges coastal zone has lowlands between huge tidal rivers, polders were formed in the 1960s and 70s to protect the coasts from tidal flooding and saline water intrusion,“ said Sudhir Yadav, a water scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).