- Yaoundé’s Economic and Social Council headquarters became the stage for a united call to action on October 28, 2026, as civil society organizations, farmers’ groups, Indigenous peoples, pastoralist communities, women, youth leaders and researchers gathered under the leadership of MBOSCUDA, with financial support from AFSA, to define a common roadmap toward COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
- Their message was clear: Cameroon cannot achieve climate resilience, food security or biodiversity protection without investing in agroecology, family farming and sustainable mobile pastoralism.
The declaration, adopted unanimously by participating organizations, comes at a critical moment for both Cameroon and Africa. Climate shocks are intensifying across the continent. According to the World Meteorological Organization, Africa loses between 2% and 5% of its GDP annually due to climate-related hazards, while many countries divert up to 9% of their budgets to climate response and reconstruction efforts. The burden falls disproportionately on smallholder farmers, women and vulnerable communities.
Against this backdrop, Cameroonian civil society is positioning agroecology not merely as an agricultural alternative, but as a strategic climate solution.
A Climate Crisis Threatening Livelihoods
The declaration highlights worsening floods, prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall patterns, land degradation, biodiversity loss and growing pressure on water resources across Cameroon. These disruptions are already affecting millions who depend on agriculture and pastoralism for survival.
Agriculture remains the backbone of Cameroon’s economy, employing approximately 70% of the rural population and contributing significantly to national food production. Yet many producers continue to face declining soil fertility, rising input costs and increasing climate uncertainty.
For civil society leaders, the answer lies in scaling up agroecological practices that restore ecosystems while strengthening local economies. The declaration emphasizes agroforestry, soil conservation, sustainable grazing systems, biodiversity protection and the use of locally adapted seeds as practical pathways toward climate resilience.
Elevating Pastoralism as a Climate Solution
One of the most significant elements of the declaration is the recognition of mobile pastoralism as a critical adaptation strategy. Often overlooked in climate policies, pastoralist communities manage vast landscapes across Cameroon and the wider Sahel. The signatories argue that securing transhumance corridors, seasonal access to grazing lands and water resources can reduce conflict while improving ecosystem management.
The declaration references international frameworks, including the African Union’s pastoralism policy framework and United Nations resolutions recognizing pastoralism’s contributions to biodiversity conservation, sustainable land management and cultural preservation. In a year designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, Cameroonian civil society is calling for pastoralist voices, particularly those of Mbororo communities, to be fully integrated into national climate planning.
Turning Climate Commitments into Action
The organizations welcomed the inclusion of agroecological transition measures in Cameroon’s revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), but warned that commitments alone are insufficient.
Their recommendations to the government include:
- Operationalizing NDC 3.0 through measurable implementation plans and public reporting mechanisms;
- Establishing a dedicated national financing mechanism for agroecology and climate-resilient family farming;
- Accelerating the development of a national agroecology strategy and supporting legal reforms;
- Expanding access to international climate finance for local communities and Indigenous peoples;
- Supporting participatory research and protecting traditional knowledge;
- Ensuring meaningful participation of civil society, women, youth and Indigenous communities in international climate negotiations.
The emphasis on finance reflects a broader challenge. Despite Africa contributing less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the continent receives only a small fraction of global climate finance flows. Local organizations often struggle to access funds due to complex application procedures and institutional barriers.
The declaration places particular emphasis on women and youth leadership.
The signatories commit to strengthening agricultural entrepreneurship, promoting agricultural diplomacy and ensuring inclusive representation in climate governance processes. They also advocate for greater participation of women, young people and Indigenous communities in food-system management and climate decision-making.
This focus reflects growing evidence that climate adaptation initiatives are more effective when women and young people have a meaningful role in designing and implementing solutions.
A Unified Message for COP31
As delegates prepare for COP31 in Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026, Cameroon’s civil society organizations are urging the country’s official delegation to champion a set of priorities rooted in local realities. These include recognition of agroecology and sustainable pastoralism as climate adaptation tools, easier access to climate finance, support for scaling proven agroecological practices, integrated food-water-climate approaches and stronger community rights and participation.
The declaration also calls for the creation of a national follow-up mechanism after COP31 to ensure that international commitments translate into concrete actions for communities on the ground.
The strength of the Yaoundé declaration lies in its insistence that climate action must be measured not by promises made in conference halls, but by outcomes delivered to farmers, pastoralists and Indigenous communities.
« The protection of the Congo Basin and the resilience of Cameroon’s food systems cannot be ensured without the people who cultivate, herd, conserve, restore and manage the land, » the declaration states.
With the Congo Basin remaining the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest and one of the planet’s most important carbon sinks, the choices made today will have implications far beyond Cameroon’s borders.
For the coalition led by MBOSCUDA and AFSA, the road to COP31 is not simply about representation. It is about securing investments, influence and political commitments capable of transforming agroecology from a grassroots practice into a national climate strategy.
And in a warming world where food systems are increasingly under pressure, their message resonates well beyond Yaoundé: climate justice begins in the fields, forests and grazing lands where resilience is built every day.
Ange ATALA