Impacts of climate disturbances on crop productivity in the flood zone of Santchou, western Cameroon

Abstract This work addresses the impacts of climate disturbances on agriculture in the Municipality of Santchou in western Cameroon. A total of 309 randomly sampled households were surveyed using a questionnaire, 17 community’s leaders were interviewed. Crop grow and agricultural systems were observed and describe directly in the field. Crop yields were obtained from the District Delegation of Agriculture and Rural Development (DAADR) of Santchou The results indicate that the increase in rainfall combined with drastic decreases in the number of rainy days caused flooding, leading to rotting of tubers and early harvests. There is also a proliferation of pests and parasites such as fall armyworms and Striga hermonthica, especially on maize, leading to a drop in yields of around 25 to 30% and a significant increase in prices products on the local market. The price per kilogram of maize, cassava, new cocoyam and sweet potato increases respectively from 95.67 francs, 64.17 francs, 82.83 francs and 83.50 francs in 2000 to 437.5 francs, 95.83 francs, 187.17 francs and 117.67 francs in 2010. In this context, it appears imperative to develop more appropriate adaptive strategies in order to reduce the vulnerability of farmers to climate disturbances.