Farmers in Cameroon’s Southwest Region have a tremendous amount of resilience as they navigate the impacts of climate change alongside an ongoing armed conflict between the government and separatists. In a region known for its rich volcanic soils and abundant rainfall, a wide diversity of nutritious crops can be grown. However, an estimated 75% of Cameroon’s smallholder farmers now rely on cocoa as their main cash crop. After years of intensive cocoa production – including cutting down native vegetation and heavy use of fertilizers – many farmers feel trapped in a cycle of ecological destruction and exploitative practices.

One Day’s Wages is partnering with the Berine and Bokwe Foundation (BEBOF) – a women-led Cameroonian NGO – to improve food security and build resilience among smallholder farmers in Matoh. Over two years, 200 farmers will learn to incorporate regenerative farming methods that improve soil fertility and re-establish traditional food crops for nutrition and income. An isolated cluster of villages with no veterinary services, a new veterinary outreach service will also launch in Matoh. Through animal husbandry and diversified sources of income, farmers who currently rely solely on cocoa will gain climate-adapted sources of food and income.