Market Gardening Challenges and Livelihood Sustainability in Upper Wabane of the Bamboutos Mountain of Cameroon

Abstract: Market gardening is one of the agricultural sector that is fast employing people especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Unlike the inland valleys and flood plains, market gardening in upper Wabane of the Bamboutos Mountain is peculiar as it is practiced on the slopes. It appears to face several challenges particularly for this mountain ecosystem. This study set out to a) analyse the drivers of market gardening b) examine the challenges of market gardening farmers in upper Wabane and c) livelihood management implications. Anchored on the sustainable livelihood framework, the methodology made use of questionnaires (n=130) administered in 7 villages in upper Wabane complemented by key informant interviews (n=5). Results reveal that there exists a strong positive relationship between natural drivers and market gardening and these drivers are the climate, soils and topography. It was equally noticed that market gardening challenges are significantly human factors; Lack of access to credit (66%), lack of technical know-how, poor farm to market roads and value chain difficulties (65.3%), scarcity of water (67.2%), limited land for cultivation (57%) and poor prices (52.4%). Faced with these challenges, farmer’s strategies were: use of sprinklers to water crop (46.6%) improve soil quality using fertilizer (80.4%), improve credit acquisition by creating micro-finances (63.8%), formation of farmers’ cooperatives, better water management, construction of farm to market roads, provision of assistance to farmers by the government(50%), adjusting of planting season according to the rains. Thus market gardening significantly contributes to livelihood diversification. The study therefore recommends the need to improve and modernize agriculture through the provision of subsidies and capacity building to the farming population and government intervention in price stabilization.