CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION

2.1 PRESENTATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

2.1.1 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

Location: My project will be located along Bangem – New Bell village main road; some 200m away from the main road and my residence for the crop and 20m away from my compound for the poultry. This location is very accessible in that, it will be easy to transport inputs from the market and transport farm products to the market.     

Economic aspects: Some of the activities carried out in this area include agricultural practices like (food crops cultivation), animal rearing, bee keeping, hunting and trapping, vegetable and fruits cultivation). The Community also has good pipe born water and electricity power supply contributing to the existence of a large number of bars, club, restaurants, rest house and Hotels.

Climate: Average monthly temperatures are like any other part of Kupe muanenguba division, with the hottest month recording a monthly temperature of 30⁰ c (February and March) and the coldest month recording as low as 17⁰c (June – October). Two major seasons exist in the area, the rainy and the dry season.

Topography: Bangem is a low land area with good water supply from the Muaneguaba twin Lakes. Also there are hilly areas and some areas gently sloppy.

Vegetation: The vegetation is generally green almost throughout the year with fewer trees in areas of high concentration of houses. It is rare to move 100m without spotting green grass, shrubs, flowers and fruit trees.

Hydrology: Bangem has few streams running across the town and this beneficial to farmers to grow their crops because of the availability of water source

Fauna: Wild life and domesticated animals are found within the community. Cattles, goats, sheep, pigs, poultry (local and improved breed), ducks, cane rats and rat moles constitute the domesticated animals whilst the antelope, hare, deer, monkeys, pangolins, chimpanzee, gorilla, bush baby and squirrels constitute those found in the wild. Thus some of the wilds had been chased away due to deforestation and some killed by hunters. Thus making it difficult for one to see them, Moreover, the wild birds include: Grey headed sparrow, swallow, hawk, and weaver bird, sunbird, and owls’ bats, king fisher’s parrots.

Soil: Bangem is rich in andosiols, though remains one of the vital natural resource appealing to the local inhabitants of the area. Trace of clay soil can also be found in certain areas like Ellong. Generally, the area is rich in black volcanic soil with high humus content. However, the area is suffering from high soil erosion due to increasing human intervention and constant cultivation without allowing to fallow.

Agriculture: Agriculture is the major economic activity and source of livelihood for majority of individuals, families and households in this community. Thus a small population of this community is involve in other business practices for income generation and life sustenance like; commercial motor cycle riding, barbing and hair dressing salons, bars, provision and cosmetics stores etc. consequently, the Government of Cameroon has put in place technical services to assist famers with modern production system. This service includes CEROOT BANGEM. Most residents of this community are involve in the cultivation of cash crops (coffee, palm oil) and food crops (plantain, cocoyam’s, bananas, yams, vegetables, beans, maize) and also the rearing of animals such as;( pigs, goats, poultry, cattle, sheep, and many other. The potentials of this activity are that it provides source of employment and revenue to residents. The common problem associated with it is a drop in agricultural production and low productivity.

2.1.2 SOCIO-CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT

Social aspect: Culturally, this community which is made up mostly of the Bakossi people do have a very rich culture such as the Ngonne dance, the ewang dance, the masquerade dance which only takes place by might night and excluding women, their mother tongue known as the Akossę. More so the people do like palm wine gotten from the small local traditional palm tree. Their cooking and eating habits involve delicacies like smoked frogs prepared with Ibo coco leaves soup without salt and Essobag (pounded cooked cocoyam). Furthermore, the people in this community do eat anything eatable except for strangers who also do practice their own customs and traditions.

Religion: Christianity was introduced in the community in the 1950s by the Basel mission as i was told by my parent. Since then, the acknowledgment and fear of the creator is embedded in the mines of residents in Bangem community. For this reason, one could identify churches of different denomination in most quarters around this community. Some include: The Roman Catholic, Presbyterian Church of Cameroon Baptist, Apostolic, and Full Gospel Church just to name a few.

Customs and tradition: Regarding the custom and tradition of this people, the ahon dance is only for males above 35 years old and concerning the midnight dance which is a mixture of the youths and the elderly, nobody is permitted to stay awake when the time comes even males who are not initiated talk less of the women who do not even see it. More so the inhabitants of this community consume a lot of chicken; reared and the locally kept but in recent years, the reared chicken is preferred to native fowl since it takes a longer time for native fowls to mature. Furthermore pigs, salt, palm oil and palm wine and cooked food are items mostly used for traditional marriages and other traditional feast in the community.

Social amenities: In Bangem, there are primary schools, secondary and high schools, higher institutions like nursing schools. There are also religious, health care services and a market which will give me the opportunity to sell my products. Bangem has government and private offices, hotels, churches, hospitals, communication companies among other social amenities. These will provide a steady market for the products of this project.

Agro Ecology: The crops grown in this community are cassava, cocoyam, yams, maize, groundnuts, vegetable and others. Animals reared include pigs, goats, rabbits, local fowls, broilers among others. The crops do well and both the crops and animals are in high demand and sometimes experience shortage. Broiler rearing and maize cultivation will therefore not be strange activities in this area.

2.1.3 ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

Economic Activities: The main economic activity of the people of Bangem is agriculture and business. In this town, we have numerous hairs dressing saloons, tailoring workshops, restaurants, beer parlors among others.  Other activities in this area include taxi driving, motor bike riding and the rearing of animals that is mostly carried out by people from the North West and Western Regions of the country. All these economic activities will help to provide income for the population which will be used to purchase the products from this project.

Financial institutions: The town and villages around Bangem are blessed with micro financial institutions like banks and credit unions plus njangi houses that make it possible for the farmers to save their reserves gotten from the sales of their produce in order to withdraw in times of need and also to take loan to increase production.

Markets: Bangem has a daily market and there are also weekly markets that hold on in othere villages around Bangem where the products of this project will be sold. Buyam-sallams also come from big towns like Loum, Tombel to buy animals and crops produced around this area.

2.1.3 JUSTIFICATION

In recent years, there have been increasing demands of poultry products especially broilers in Bangem Municipality. The reason I choose this activity at this particular time. This increasing demand has been caused by increasing population, hotels, roadside vendors, restaurants, celebrations etc.

This project is an employment to me, increase source of income and livelihood for me and family at large improve on the supply of animal protein both to my immediate family and the community at large. My project will as well provide permanent and casual jobs for the youths in my community and also create a desire and the zeal for entrepreneurship in the mind of the youths. More so benefit from refresher workshops, trainings.

In recent years the most important family needs involve health facilities (hospital bills), clothing’s, Education (school fees and other school needs) and the required diet (balance diet) the body needs for it proper and effective functioning. The above mentioned family needs are sustained from my present plantain/maize farm, other activities and my mother’s table market.

2.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

2.2.1 GLOBAL OBJECTIVE: My global objective is to generate income and improve my living standard while at the same time creating employment for myself and my family.

2.2.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: The specific objectives of this project are:

• To rear day old chicks to table birds (broiler) in four batches per year.
• To produce dry grains of maize in two seasons per year on 1 hectare of land.

2.2.3 EXPECTED RESULTS: My expected results of this project are as follows;

• 2000 birds (broilers) are reared in four batches per year
• 4 tons of maize is produced in two seasons per year.

3. TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE PRODUCTION SYSTEM

3.1 EVALUATION OF PRODUCTION FACTORS

3.1.1 Land: The land for the execution of both projects is a family land inherited from my father, measuring 20m by 25m piece (500m²) and 3 hectares respectively. Part of the 20 m by 25 m 500m² (10x5m) land will be used to build a poultry house that has a carrying capacity of 600 birds according to AFOP building standard and 10000m² ( 1ht) will be used for the cultivation of maize . The land has a gentle slope and a small river running at the foot of the said land acting as boundary with my neighbour.

 The land is flat and has a rectangular in shape located some 200m away from the main road my house.