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Farming & Beekeeping are helping forest communities to cope with climate change
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Saturday, 17 January, 2026, 15 : 00 PM [IST]
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Dimako, Cameroon
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In the lush equatorial forests of eastern Cameroon, the Baka people of Mayos village — home to nearly 600 inhabitants have long depended on hunting, gathering and foraging to feed their families and sustain their way of life. However, in recent years, rising climate shocks such as droughts, floods, economic instability and regional conflicts have severely stressed natural resources and disrupted traditional food systems. Residents now face food scarcity that forces long, exhausting journeys into the forest, often causing children to miss school while searching for cassava leaves. Baka elders are increasingly concerned that their cultural knowledge and traditional livelihoods are at risk.
To help address these challenges, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Government of Cameroon and with funding from the World Bank, launched the emergency project to combat the food crisis in Cameroon (PULCCA) between April 2024 and June 2025. The initiative offers training and tools to help vulnerable households build food security through climate-adapted farming and beekeeping.
In Mayos, FAO provided participatory support that combined traditional knowledge with modern agricultural practices. Households received production kits including plantain and cassava cuttings, yam seedlings, poultry and small livestock. More than 30 training sessions equipped community members with skills to farm successfully under changing environmental conditions and to establish beekeeping ventures suitable for the local ecosystem.
Young Baka participants have embraced these opportunities, adopting modern beehives that not only enrich local diets but also generate income. Beekeeping has helped improve school attendance and nutrition by providing a reliable source of honey and earnings. FAO’s work also involved close consultation with the community in their own language and active inclusion of local leaders in project monitoring, ensuring that interventions respect traditional knowledge and priorities.
For elders like Dieudonné Noutcheguenou, the shift toward farming and bee-based livelihoods represents a crucial step forward. “This project allows us to produce for ourselves, without depending on others. Our children can eat at home and go to school more easily,” he says. Through the PULCCA project, 374 people in Mayos have directly benefited, while nearly 25,000 households across eastern Cameroon have gained support to adapt and build resilience in the face of climate-driven food challenges.
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