Réseau africain pour l'éducation au développement durable, Cameroon

Promotion of agroecology among young students in secondary and primary schools in Douala Cameroon

(African Network for Sustainable Development Education)

How can we ensure food security if Cameroonian youth are not prepared for it? How can unemployment be combated if no introduction to entrepreneurship is promoted among young people? As shown in SDG2, the project aims to show young people that they are a stakeholder in the future of their country on both a food and professional level. Hence the agroecological initiation micro-project was implemented.

The current project concerns a public secondary school whose learners are introduced to the cultivation of peppers and okra, within the framework of urban organic agriculture. This work allows them to understand the importance of cultivating a school field that allows them to have the spices they need for seasoning, rather than buying everything.

These skills are acquired alongside their much more theoretical school programs. The training is linked to the school year. It will also be shortened as the school year draws to a close. The objective is to arouse in them a love for working the land.

Next school year other schools will take over, while keeping an eye on the achievements of the first beneficiaries to ensure sustainability. In addition, the project sees the participation of girls and boys. No one is left behind.

Top 3 Learnings

1. The first lesson is that learners or young schoolchildren need to learn something practical, even if the training they receive is essentially book-based. The high school in question is general education, yet the project has aroused unparalleled enthusiasm.
2. The other lesson is that we must dare to shake up entrenched anti-progressive habits. The project has become a model to replicate, we think, even though it was not the original intention.
3. The program promotes a healthy environment: A significant quantity of packaging is collected in the city and recycled.