ASSOCIATED VOLUNTEER experts

What agricultural project for a 170 ha coffee plantation not exploited for 20 years?

At the request of a Cameroonian family, heir to a 170 ha coffee plantation that has not been exploited for 20 years, Louis, AVe expert, accompanied by Fabrice, the family's representative, surveyed the plantation for several days to define a new agricultural project based on the existing one.

The field mission on the plantation was completed by meetings with local authorities: the mayor of Kekem, the prefect of Nkongsamba, the prefect of Bafang and with economic actors likely to be the future clients of the plantation: in Bafoussam, the director of SPC (Société des provenderies du Cameroun) and the director of ASL (Agro Sourcing Logistic) The mission ended in Yaoundé with a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Public Works for work in progress on a bridge located on the property and the Ministry of Agriculture to learn about the steps to be taken to obtain financing for the new agricultural project.

This intense mission, thanks to the field diagnosis and to the numerous exchanges with Fabrice and the different interlocutors met, allowed us to choose the orientations of the new project for the plantation : Coffee will be replaced by cocoa and banana-plantain mainly and by some vegetables. A method of cultivation based on agroforestry and agroecology was proposed.

At the end of the mission, the expert writes a file presenting the diagnosis of the plantation, the new project and its business plan.

	Louis Jestin, AVe expert with Fabrice Tchouaffé, the family representative		during the mission: many exchanges, here with the people working on the plantation		the plantation has a surface of 170 ha and many buildings and drying areas (around 5 000 m²) used for drying and first transformation of coffee; they will be used tomorrow for cocoa