The national agro-pastoral show that has seen so many postponements has finally been scheduled for 2010 in Ebolowa following the President’s end of year speech last December 31 contradicting his Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The South Region shall then have its show. It shall take place in Ebolowa and not later than 2010. From this furtive phrase from the 2009 end of year message of the head of state of Cameroon it is sufficiently clear that president Biya said “To stimulate the growth of the rural areas, an agricultural show shall be organized in Ebolowa in 2010.” This declaration comes to put an end to all speculations whether or not Ebolowa show would take place.
Many times announced and postponed, officially for economic and infrastructural reasons, this event was already qualified as awe-inspiring by some observers. The Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Rural development, added in his controversy last 18th December 2009 during the mini agricultural show in Ebolowa, South Region, by declaring that the show shall be carried forward to 2011.

Another delay that has certainly not been to the taste of the Presidency of the Republic.The focus of the head of state on this issue sounded like a repudiation of his minister in charge of agriculture as the multiple about turns and the little inspiration and engagement on the subject is no longer welcomed by hierarchy.
Sanction to the apathy or not, the news is above all good for the Ebolowa population, who were frustrated after the passage of the Vice Prime minister Jean Kuete on the 18th of December 2009.On this day, at the Nko’ovos municipal stadium where the mini show was held, the news that the agro pastoral show will hold in 2011 went like wild fire in all directions. We could clearly read the gross deception on the faces of the authorities and the numerous farmers who came to have first hand the date of the event.

Little inspiration and engagement of MINADER
According to Fernand Ella Ella, the regional delegate for MINADER in the South, ‘this postponement would have enabled farmers to prepare better. The fields engaged by public authorities would not be stopped and others will be developed to accelerate preparations,” a justification that was crushed by Paul Biya. He will therefore need to give to the South this show that the president has promised.

From the way things are going, there is every indication that if MINADER finally proves to be incapable to organising this event; it is not forbidden that she would be pushed aside by private operators. There are many candidates ready to take advantage of the failure of the ministry in charge. After all, we are talking of a budget of 2 billion Fcfa for this event. Imagine therefore an agro pastoral show where the ministries in charge would be invitees or participants as every any other person, with their regional, divisional and sub divisional delegates almost at the touch line! This has not yet been seen in Cameroon, but with the Ebolowa show, we are not far from such a scenario.

Whatever it is, it is their show that the people of Ebolowa want. The wishes of every Cameroonian remain that the organization of this national feast be a true success, and that the participation of farmers shall be in such a way as to illuminate minds in the rural world and spur them to produce more



Climate change : Copenhagen will not stop global warming
According to expert calculations, an American sends out to the atmosphere 24 tons of carbon dioxide, a European, 12 tons a Chinese 4 tons and an African .5 tons every year. For this reason our world has caught fever. Unfortunately, this trend is going to continue since Copenhagen did not succeed to do anything. The earth will therefore continue to warm for some time to come and what next? Burn ?

Discussions on the outcome of the recent conference on global warming held in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark between the 7th and 18 of December are still ongoing. Delegates who attended the highly mediatised conference returned empty handed or almost. The industrialised countries did not want to negotiate anything that could hurt their development. Africans who hoped to return with envelops were simply disillusioned

No accord
Copenhagen did not permit the putting in place of mechanisms for restrictive measures with figures for cutting down greenhouse gases by industrialised countries by the years 2020 and 2050 as it was expected. The conference did not also allow the putting in place of of funds to support third world countries who are bearing the burden of the emission of greenhouse gases emitted by industrialised countries and China, India, Brazil qualified as emerging countries.

Proportionately, it is estimated that today the greatest polluters are the USA with 21.3%, world emissions, China 18.7%, Europe 13.2%, India 5.1% and Russia 5.1%. But if this is redistributed according to the number of inhabitants, the Americans and Europeans are far ahead of the Chinese.
Professor Tsalefac Maurice, a specialist in climatology and environment, and lecturer at the University of Yaounde 1 who contributed regularly to Cameroon’s preparation for the Copenhagen conference explains why negotiators could not do anything in Copenhagen, “China was bent on defending its growing economy.” China’s determination not to give in on anything added to the nervousness of other countries especially the USA not to take any engagement towards reducing greenhouse gases emissions. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Copenhagen was a theatre of dialogue between the deaf.

Declaration of intentions
Meanwhile this conference, the 15th of its kind which brought together countries which had adhered to Rio de Janeiro United Nations Convention on climate Change of 1992 earth summit in Brazil was very ambitious. It was expected that coercive measures would be put in place to force countries to cut greenhouse emissions with mechanisms to punish those that fail to respect.

But in its place Prof. Tsalefac regrets that instead, a kind of a reduced accord, a declaration of intention which only asks each country to make an effort to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases at a proportion which shall be indicated by the end of January 2010.
It was expected that three different funds be put in place to support developing countries who are suffering the effects of climate change: An adaptation fund to climate change, a fund to alleviate the effects of climate change and a fund for technology transfer.
These funds were supposed to come from industrialized nations who are the polluters. At the end of the conference, developed countries agreed to put at the disposal of developing countries a sum of 30 billion dollars by 2012 with a possibility of increasing it to 100 billion dollars counting on the participation of the USA.

This is a very negligible amount if it redistributed to countries suffering from global warming. Even the mechanisms to release, redistribute and manage these funds are still to be clarified. The dossier shall come back for discussion during the Mexico conference in December 2010
While waiting, the Copenhagen accord calls on developing countries to reduce the production of greenhouse gases in its territory. In the case of Cameroon, this means that there should be no more cutting down of trees; preserve the forest even at the detriment of the population living on forest products. That is the price to pay for the support of industrialised countries
Marie Pauline Voufo translated into English by Joy Ful : http://www.reussirmavie.net/sommet-de-copenhague