Scholarly Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 4(5), pp. 265-272 May, 2014 Available online at http:// www.scholarly-journals.com/SJAS ISSN 2276-7118 © 2014 Scholarly-Journals Full Length Research Paper Effects of improved maize (Zea mays L.) varieties on household food security in the North West Region of Cameroon Manu I.N.1, Tarla D.N.2, Chefor G.F.1 1Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology University of Dschang 2Department of Plant Protection, FASA, University of Dschang Accepted 11 May, 2014 This study was carried out from April to September 2013 in the North West Region of Cameroon on the effect of adoption of improved maize varieties (IMVs) on household food security. One hundred and forty farmers were administered semi-structured questionnaires and data was analysed using SPSS. The t-test was used to analyze the 4 pillars of food security as concerns produced maize in adopter and non-adopter households. Socio-economic analysis showed that majority of the sample size were female (50.70%) aged below 50 with an average of 9 members per household. Majority of the respondents were Christians 82.60% had formal education with access to extension services (72.70%). Most farmers depended on household generated income which came mostly from farm activities. Most of the farm sizes were below 2 ha indicating low scale production and low capacity to obtain loans. In the study area, maize was allocated over 60.00% of the farm lands. Three IMVs were identified; Coca white, Kasai and ATP with the latter being the most widely cultivated. The analysis showed that there was a significant difference at the level of yields and quantity sold. This study shows that adopting improved maize varieties increased crop yields, food security and farmers income. Key words: Improved maize varieties, rate of adoption, food security, North West INTRODUCTION A significant proportion of the population in sub-Saharan 2012, the food security crisis in the Sahel, driven by Africa, including Cameroon is food insecure and chronic poverty, malnutrition, high food prices, drought malnourished. Increasing food insecurity is therefore one and low agricultural production, affected 18.7 million of the main concerns in many developing countries, people across the region (FAO, 2013). This pushed many especially those in this region (FAO, 1996). Shala and of the poorest households, already vulnerable from Stacey (2001) found out that many countries experience recurring shocks and crises, to sell their assets or reduce food insecurity with food supplies being inadequate to the number of meals per day so as to survive. Helen maintain their citizens’ per capita consumption. They also (2002) as cited by Idris et al (2008) asserted that food is found that sub-Sahara Africa was the most vulnerable useful for maintaining political stability and ensuring region with the average amount of food available per peace among people, while food insecurity can result in person per day in the region being 1,300 calories poor health and reduced performance of children. No compared to the world wide average of 2,700 calories. In doubt, this region has witnessed several political crises in the past decade such as that of Cameroon in February 2008 and the recent struggles in Mali and the Central African Repuclic. Corresponding Author Email: [email protected]. Cameroon is a country with the backbone of its Scholarly J. Agric. Sci. 266 economy being agriculture. About 70% of its active METHODOLOGY population is involved in agriculture, which contributes to about 25% of the GDP (FAO, 2008). About 55% of the Study Area Cameroonian population lives in the rural environment with agriculture as main activity (Etoundi and Dia, 2008). This study was carried out in the Mezam and Ngoketunjia Products from this activity serve for on-farm consumption Divisions of the North West Region. Mezam is located and generating incomeCereals are a major source of between latitudes 5° 20’ and 6° 15’N and longitudes 09° food and contributed to close to 50% of the total dietary 7’ and 10° 21’East. It has an approximate land surface energy supplies (kcal) for this region for 2007-2009 (FAO, area of 1,841 km2 and a population of about 446,000 2008). Indeed, cereals are the basis of human food in inhabitants. The area has a tropical montane climate Cameroon, providing 36.2% calorie intake and 40% characterized by cold, cloudy and misty weather in areas protein in-take (MINADER, 2006). Of the above caloric with elevations above 1800 m and a hot and humid percentages, MINADER (2006) specified that 19.5% and weather in areas with elevations below 1800 m. The 22% respectively come from maize produced in the entire rainy season runs from mid-March to mid-November. The country alone. Etoundi and Dia, (2008) confirms that rest of the year is a dry season. Average annual rainfall is maize does not only occupy an important place in the 2288mm.Higher elevations receive higher rainfall. The different functions of agricultural production in Cameroon average annual temperature is 19.7°C and temperature but that it is also the most consumed cereal in the ranges between 15°C to 32°C. country, much more than sorghum, rice or wheat. Ngoketunjia Division is situated between latitudes 5˚40 According to Etoundi (2007), maize is a very strategic and 6˚10 North, and between longitudes 10˚15 and 10˚50 crop in Cameroon, in terms of food security and East. With a population of 144,125 inhabitants in 2005 on sovereignty. Maize is the major source of income for a surface area of 1,117 km2, Ngoketunjia Division was more than three million smallholders in Cameroon and is projected in 2010 to have a population of 164,298 the reserve currency of smallholders. In family farms, inhabitants (MINEPAT, 2009), with an annual population maize occupies a central place and determines the layout growth rate of 4.2%. Its altitude varies between 1140 and of associated crops. Etoundi (2007) further explains that 1650 m. Most soils in this zone are hydromorphic in at the socioeconomic level, the maize market amounts to nature especially in the southern part of the plain, at the about CFAF 25 billion per year and is a source of level of drainage basin. Ngoketunjia Division falls within employment for an increasingly high number of citizens. the humid Sudanese climate with two, almost equally Maize is the first ingredient in the manufacture of cattle distributed seasons; the dry and the rainy seasons. The feed and is indispensable in aviculture accounting for average rainfall in the lower basin is 1860mm. Averagely 65% of the input for manufacturing poultry feed. It also in the swampy area, it varies from 1500mm in the north contributes CFAF 5.6 billion to GDP and is regularly and centre, to 1800mm in the south. The dry season consumed by 12 million Cameroonians (MINADER, extends from November to March. The average inter- 2006). annual maximum temperature is 26 to 32˚C, and the With a population growth rate of 2.8% per year minimum being 15 to 16˚C and the general average is (MINEPAT, 2009), the level of maize production in 20˚C. Cameroon, added to post harvest losses, is therefore Sampling: A multistage sampling technique was used ineffective to tackle the food crisis faced by the nation, for this study with three stages. In each of the Divisions, despite the efforts put in by research and extension to Sub-divisions were selected through simple random provide improved maize varieties to the farmers. sampling technique. Four of the sub-divisions in the According to Ebouele (2009) despite the increases in Mezam Division were selected whereas all three production these past few years, maize production is still subdivisions in the Ngoketunjia Division were included in unable to satisfy the ever growing national needs. As a the study (Table 1). result, maize production has received substantial Stage two involved selection of two villages in each of research and extension attention and intensification of the sub-divisions selected in stage one giving a total of effort on adoption of improved varieties for improved fourteen villages, while the third and final stage involved productivity so as to tackle food insecurity and push the the selection of ten maize farmers from each of the nation towards attaining the objectives of the Vision 2035. fourteen villages selected in stage two giving a total of Although maize is cultivated in all the areas of 140 maize producers interviewed for the study. Cameroon, the West and the North-West regions are the For primary data, a semi-structured questionnaire was principal zones of production maize; followed by the used for the collection of data. This questionnaire was Adamawa and North regions (AGRISTAT, 2010). The elaborated around a list of precise points that were objectives of the study are to obtain the socio-economic related to the theme or topic of the study. characteristics of maize farmers in the North West The collected data was analyzed with the help of Region and verify the level of adoption of IMVs. statistical packages such as Statistical Package for Manu et al. 267 Table 1. Sampling of farmers in Mezam and Ngoketunjia Divisions Division Sub-division Village Nsem Bafut Nforya Wosing Bali Mantum Mezam Awing Santa Santa Bambili Tubah Bambui Babessi Babessi Babungo Balikumbat Ngoketunjia Balikumbat Bafanji Bamunka Ndop Central Bamessing Source: Field survey, 2013 Social Sciences (SPSS). The analyses process consisted farm income and total farm area. of coding the questionnaires and variables so as to ease It was observed that the males made up 49.3% of their insertion in the statistical package.