Pratiques agricoles et préservation de l’environnement chez les Mbouda de l’ouest-Cameroun : contribution à l’anthropologie écologique

Abstract

This study, entitled "Agricultural practices and environmental protection in Mbouda, West Cameroon: a contribution to ecological anthropology," examines the indigenes' knowledge about environmental management. It investigates the agricultural methods of the Mbouda communities, particularly the Nda'a peoples, in the context of environmental protection. In other words, how were these methods carried out in the past and how are they carried out today? The Mbouda communities are currently undergoing a dynamic shift in how they live and manage traditional or old agriculture methods in favor of new modern techniques that are not always environmentally friendly. The issue of environmental protection strategies through endogenous (traditional) and exogenous (modern) agricultural practices arises as a result of the observation and that led to the following question: How do endogenous Mbouda agricultural practices contribute to better environmental management? We then developed a general hypothesis based on the fact that the practice of endogenous agricultural methods among the Mbouda people of West Cameroon is tightly associated with the concept of environmental protection. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that the endogenous agricultural methods used in Mbouda are meant to protect the environment. To better understand these endogenous agricultural practices, their methods of operation, and their ability to preserve the environment, we made use of the theories of cultural ecology and ethnomethodology. For our justification, we used secondary and primary data from a literature review and a field survey that included interviews, life stories, observations, and video recordings from villages of the Mbouda community. The collected data were subjected to content analysis to seek out the meaning around endogenous agricultural practices and their ability to sustainably preserve the environment. All these data and this analysis model resulted in the conclusion that there are sustainable methods and actions centered on agricultural practices, which are: Endogenous methods, particularly traditional techniques, natural fertilizers, and natural pesticides, all practised in Mbouda. Exogenous methods, on the other hand, are based on good agricultural practices, soil analysis, and raising-awareness of farmers on the best use of chemical fertilizers. Finally, there is the administrative strategy, which includes the CIG (Common Initiative Group) as well as the extension and multiplication of funds for sustainable agriculture. The introduction of new modern techniques and the neglect of old ones, have resulted in environmental destruction and deterioration of people's health in the Mbouda communities of West Cameroon. These two types of agriculture should ideally be reconciled to get the most out of each for long-term environmental protection.