Sustainable Farming Takes Root in Ndop Plain

The red earth stretches beneath our feet as we walk the boundary between Babungo and Baba 1 village, and what we're witnessing tells a story of quiet transformation. Here in the Ndop plain of Cameroon's Northwest Region, the landscape speaks of change - not the dramatic kind that arrives with fanfare, but the gradual, purposeful shift that comes when communities reimagine their relationship with the land.

From Slash-and-Burn to Living Farms

Not so long ago, the rhythm of farming in this region followed a familiar but exhausting pattern. Farmers would identify a plot, clear it completely - felling trees, burning bush, leaving the earth bare and exposed to prepare for planting. After a few seasons of cultivation, when the soil's fertility waned, they would move on, leaving the land to lie fallow for years while they repeated the process elsewhere. It was a cycle that worked when land was abundant and populations smaller, but it came at a cost: deforestation, soil degradation, and the loss of the ecological balance that sustains agricultural productivity over generations.

Today, as we document these fields during our exploratory work, a different story unfolds before us. The palm trees still stand - their distinctive fronds creating patterns of shade and light across the cultivated rows. Young saplings dot the landscape between crop beds. The farms are no longer clearings carved from forest, but integrated spaces where agriculture and trees coexist.

Farming With, Not Against, the Trees

What strikes you immediately in these photographs is the presence of trees. They're everywhere - not as obstacles to be removed, but as partners in production. Mature palms rise above fields of leafy green vegetables. Smaller trees provide windbreaks and boundary markers. The crops themselves flourish in this semi-shaded environment, their leaves a vibrant testament to the soil's retained moisture and fertility.

This agroforestry approach represents more than just an aesthetic shift. By maintaining tree cover, farmers are working with nature's own systems. The trees provide organic matter to the soil as their leaves fall and decompose. Their roots help prevent erosion during the region's intense rainy seasons, keeping that precious topsoil in place. They offer shade that reduces water evaporation, meaning crops can better withstand dry spells. And perhaps most importantly, they maintain habitat for the birds, insects, and soil organisms that form the invisible workforce of any healthy farm ecosystem.

A Tapestry of Crops Through the Seasons

The Ndop plain has always been blessed with agricultural potential, and farmers here have long understood the value of diversity. Throughout the year, these fields produce a remarkable variety of crops. Rice paddies glisten with water during the wet season. Beans climb their supporting structures, fixing nitrogen in the soil for the crops that will follow. Cassava - that reliable staple - pushes its broad leaves upward, storing energy in tuberous roots below. Green vegetables of countless varieties fill in the spaces, providing nutrition and income.

In our photographs, you can see this diversity in action. Different crops occupy different niches - some preferring the moister low-lying areas, others thriving on the slight rises in the terrain. It's not uncommon to see mixed cropping systems here, where complementary plants share the same bed, each contributing something different to the soil and the harvest.

This intercropping is not random. It reflects generations of accumulated knowledge about which plants work well together, which ones help each other resist pests, which combinations make the most efficient use of space and nutrients. A cassava plant might share its row with a leafy vegetable that will be harvested long before the cassava needs the space. Beans might climb the stalks of a companion crop, making vertical use of the available sunlight.

What's Driving the Change?

Walking these fields with local farmers, you begin to understand what has motivated this shift toward more sustainable practices. For some, it's purely practical - they've seen firsthand how cleared land becomes harder to farm over time, how erosion steals away the fertile topsoil, how crops struggle in the harsh sun without the moderating influence of trees. For others, there's a growing awareness, fostered by organizations like ours and by progressive farmers within the community, that the old ways simply aren't sustainable for the long term.

There's also an economic dimension. Trees on farms aren't just ecological assets; they're financial ones too. Palm trees provide fruit, oil, and materials for construction. Other trees offer timber, medicine, or fodder for livestock. By keeping them, farmers aren't just preserving the environment - they're maintaining additional income streams and resources for their families.

Challenges and Continued Progress

This transformation isn't complete, and it hasn't been without challenges. Some farmers remain skeptical, worried that trees will compete with crops for nutrients and light. Others lack the knowledge or resources to effectively integrate trees into their farming systems. Land tenure issues can make long-term investments like tree-planting feel risky - why plant a tree that takes years to mature if you're not certain you'll still be farming that plot?

Yet the evidence is growing harder to ignore. The fields we're documenting show healthy crops thriving alongside trees. Farmers who have adopted these practices report that their soils stay productive for longer periods, reducing the need to constantly clear new land. The reduced use of fire means less smoke, less damage to remaining forest patches, and fewer conflicts with conservation efforts.

Looking Forward

As we pack up our equipment and prepare to leave these fields, the late afternoon sun casts long shadows from the palm trees across the neat rows of crops. It's a scene that embodies hope - not in some distant future, but in the present reality of farmers who are finding ways to feed their families while healing the land.

The journey toward fully sustainable subsistence farming in the Ndop plain is ongoing. But here, along the Babungo-Baba 1 village boundary, we're witnessing something remarkable: a community-driven evolution in agricultural practice that respects both tradition and innovation, that values both productivity and preservation. It's a model that deserves recognition, support, and replication across the region and beyond.

The question is no longer whether farming and forest can coexist in places like this. These photographs answer that definitively: they can, and they must. The real question now is how quickly these practices can spread, how effectively we can support the farmers who are leading this change, and how we can ensure that the next generation inherits not depleted land, but thriving, resilient agricultural ecosystems.

In the Ndop plain, that future is already taking root.