Resource Inventory of North Cameroon, Africa

The area is characterized by low geographical relief, a long, hot dry season, and decreasing rainfall from South to North. However, rainfall during the summer rainy season (which follows a monsoon pattern) is quite high, but much of it is wasted through runoff or evaporation. Clearly, the potential exists for considerable agricultural expansion through irrigation; in fact, this resource inventory for North Cameroon suggests that about 45% of the area surveyed has a medium to high potential for crops, though only about 5% of the area is cropped. The inventory"s characterizations of the land, the people, and the climate center around agriculture and livestock farming, both actual and potential. The first section is a general description of the administrative region of North Cameroon (excluding Adamaoua Department). Within this region, 9 resource areas are identified (each with a unique pattern of soils, vegetation, topography, and land use), along with 29 soil resource units and 16 plant communities. Section two describes the region"s climate and human, livestock, soil, plant, and water resources. The final section addresses the management and use of these resources; attention is given in turn to agronomy, livestock production, range management, and the social and economic factors (e.g., land use and inheritance patterns) governing resource use.