Student Work

Motivating Mankon Farmers: Shining a Light on GIS in Cameroon

Public

Farmers in Cameroon are stuck in a cycle of subsistence farming due to a lack of education, information, and resources. Climate change has made the farmer’s predicament only worse. As they toil to grow enough food for their family, there rarely is excess to sell into the market for a profit. Information about modern farming techniques and practices has largely not reached the farmers of Cameroon. Farmers cultivate on small plots of land that are being devastated by poor management of soil nutrients, misuse of fertilizers, and indiscriminate selection of crop locations. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have already proven their utility in other developing countries. By implementing GIS, farmers in Cameroon will be empowered will vital information to better manage their crops, resulting in greater yields and deceased operating costs. GIS’s integrated satellite maps and locational information capability can provide the Cameroon farmer with easy-to-read and highly visual geographic information. The overlaid maps will bring together critical information to make informed decisions on where to plant, fertilize, and irrigate crops. Instructed by our sponsor, Nju Divine Nde ( founder of the Village Light Fund in Cameroon), our project focuses on producing a promotional video and an informational poster that will motivate farmers to implement GIS into their farming practices and will also provide a foundation for future educational initiatives. The video and poster will teach farmers about the benefits of implementing GIS and the resulting long term financial rewards.

Creator
Contributors
Subject
Publisher
Language
  • English
Identifier
  • GPS_2011_GRAND_Motivating_Mankon_Farmers
Year
  • 2011
Date created
  • 2011-01-01
Resource type
Rights statement
License
Last modified
  • 2022-03-04

Relations

Permanent link to this page: https://digital.wpi.edu/show/f7623c56g