Climate change perception and local adaptation of natural resource management in a farming community of Cameroon: A case study

Hybrid Event: 11^th World Conference on Climate Change & 14^th World Congress and Expo on Recycling

October 19-20, 2022 | Barcelona, Spain

Pierre Marie Chimi

University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Adv Recycling Waste Manag

Abstract :

Climate change is perceived by communities at different levels and their adaptation measures are often corresponding to local understanding and realities. A socio-economic survey and field observations were conducted among 95 Baki farmers in the Ntui district of Central Cameroon, to examine the community’s perception of the changes observed and the adaptation measures undertaken locally. Apart from the relative homogeneity of its community, the area was chosen for its climatic conditions. This area is characterized by a bimodal rainfall pattern on the one hand and by a transitional rainfall pattern between the bimodal patterns of the far south and the unimodal pattern of northern Cameroon. The study found that the Baki community has developed a classification of the climatic seasons through the changes observed over time, namely the increase in temperature, the decrease in rainfall, and the resurgence of extreme events such as their currency of violent winds and drought. The classification confirms the locally important changes in climate that affect the agricultural calendar, thereby planning the community’s socio-economic activities. In response to the effects observed, the farmers have developed an adaptation strategy that includes reverting to more appropriate farming practices and more resistant varieties. Notably, the farmer’s uses are adding a grid of climatic and environmental variations as a reference to decide on adaptive actions and adaptation measures. The study results reconfirm that perception of climate change is strongly influenced by age and education.

Biography :

Pierre Marie Chimi is a recent graduate of the Department of Plant Biology and Physiology, University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon. His research interests are climate-smart agriculture, natural resource management/climate change, the economics of ecosystem services, rural development, agroecology/climate change, ecosystems and biodiversity conservation, and forest and agroforestry landscape. His research has been published in several leading international journals. He has also worked on the sustainability, vulnerability, and resilience of farms to climate change. He is a member of several associations and networks, which aim to effectively combat climate change. He has been retained as a consultant to Soldiers for Nature (SOPNA), an environmental activist association. He is a member of the Youth Network for the Preservation of Wetlands (REJEPH) and the International Network of Youth Organizations’ (RIO Youth).