Both farmers and agric officials are unanimously contented with the reinstitution of agric shows that will culminate in the National agro pastoral show built for Ebolowa in 2010.

But few optimists, even including some agric and livestock technicians believe that the way some of these agric shows at the Regional levels in 2009 were managed would encourage farmers to professionalize or take agriculture as a business, dedicating their lives to it for their good, the general good of our economy, the fight against unemployment, rural exodus, banditry, Cameroon’s dependence on certain imported foodstuffs that causes disequilibrium on our balance of trade…

Few believe that the way the agric shows, which used to be a very encouraging factor to farmers and could still be, are managed will not help modernize this sector that is the pivot of life in Cameroon. After we spoke to some actors in the field, TFV realized that if the following are taken into consideration the management of the shows will be improved and thus encourage farmers to work harder.

Prizes
Most farmers as well as some officials were just bitter with the nature of the prizes. Some said the prizes were not just attractive at all and others wondered how a yam seed multiplier would use a motor pump or a cutlass to increase yam seeds production except you are encouraging him to remain subsistent. The government should avoid giving the kind of prizes that are not needed, valued or appropriate to the needs of respective farmers who excelled as the government cannot be preaching professionalism in the agric sector and encouraging subsistent agriculture as seen in the prices given this year during agric shows.

Organization
Not only farmers but some agric workers regretted that because of much money involved, they were sidelined. In fact, proper and transparent organization of agric shows and the getting of the best convenient and needed prizes can only be done if administrators sincerely work with farmers’ umbrella organizations and other civil society groups. Here these groups would take the responsibility of not giving money to the local administrative authorities who will have no reason to accuse agric and livestock officials for chopping alone. Always listen to farmers whenever decisions are to be taken about them.

Funding
Rather than just asking the councils to contribute, government should disburse enough money in time to councils, agric officials and farmers’ umbrella organizations who know the farmers well rather than to civil servants only, because they may line up their pockets at the detriment of farmers and our agriculture.

Facilitating work for Technicians
No matter the amount of effort put in, if the agric and livestock technicians are working under the deplorable conditions witnessed in some areas, there can never be proper work at the level of overseeing what the farmers are doing. So the government should improve the conditions of agric and livestock field staff and re-enforce them with new breeds for they remain the technical guides to farmers
Encouragement prizes for agric workers during shows
Agric workers whose farmers excel during agric shows should also be encouraged in one way or the other to spur sleeping ones to get up. So, instituting prizes for the best agric and livestock field workers during agric shows to stimulate good follow up of farmers is also a good factor.

Avoid maltreating farmers
Treating farmers like underdogs who must sleep in the open fields like during the Limbe Agro pastoral show while the rest of the guests spent the nights in luxurious hotels is one of the most discriminating things to do to people you think you are encouraging. This actually discourages many of them, make the public and children look at agriculture or farmers as poor illiterates with no alternatives than sleep in the open air because you are waiting for a wheel barrow, truck, cutlass etc.
Gathered by Bangsi Daniel Song

“We are farmers not the illiterates they think,”

What appreciation do you have for this agric show ?
It’s almost 5 pm no prizes yet, the farmers are disgruntled. This is the first Regional Agric show that prizes are given at 5 pm. If the officials knew that they would not be here on time, they should have sent their representatives to carry on with the activities. At what time are we going to leave here, what about those in Mamfe, Mundemba, Libialem, Kupe Muanengumba…?

There was provision to take care of you in the budget are you not being taken care of ?
They did not take care of us at the Limbe Agric Show. What I am seeing is that, the government disburses money but when it gets here, people become too selfish and self –centered. A lot of people are just using producers to enrich them.
Apart from the ministry’s contribution, councils were supposed to take care of farmers in their areas too.
I have had no food from them for three days. I have been sleeping on bare grass in the Community field for three days. This is just the plain truth; no food has been given to me.
Were you invited?
Yes I was officially invited as a farmer who has been participating. I was in 2002 in Kumba, 2008 I was in Lebialem. These people should know that we are farmers and not the illiterates they think. They have been keeping us here for so long for nothing by B.D.S

““The prizes don’t tie with what the farmers need to produce”

What are your impressions after the Limbe 2009 agro pastoral show ?
The farmers have turned out massively, we mobilized the farmers but we are surprised to see that the thing has turned out to be an administrative show where all the money to care for producers at the level of transportation and even to feed them have gone to administrators, the Dos, SDOs, Governors etc.

You mean producers were not involved at the management of the show when I know you were invited ?
If you look at the programme, you wouldn’t see anything concerning the platform in it meaning that we were not involved. We were invited just for the planning meeting but the invitation did not even reach us.
They are your technical partners and you are supposed to work with them, where is the problem ?
We were called for the planning meeting and after that we found out that they were not involving us in all the issues and the thing turned out more administrative than an agric show.

Why do you think you were not involved ?
The ministry put in a lot of money, the ministry disbursed ten million francs per region, so the budget for this show was increased but to our dismay, it is the opposite, producers have been abandoned. Even the prizes don’t tie with what the farmers need to produce more.
How would you like the shows to be organized not to please producers only but to enable you produce more ?
It’s better for the MINADER, MINEPIA and Producers to co-manage these agro pastoral shows than turn them into administrative shows. If the livestock and agriculture ministries and producers co-manage the shows, things will go better, rather than these administrative show by B.D.S