Village Development Plan For Ekonjo And Upper Boando Villages: Sustainable Natural Resource Management Oriented

Travail de Projet (scientifique-pratique) , 2009 , 62 Pages

Sciences de la Terre / Géographie - Démographie, Urbanisation et Aménagement du territoire

A village development plan is a document that outlines clearly development procedures prepared by a village that can be used to mobilize potentials, capacities and allocation of resources. The goal is to move a village from its present situation to a desired one in an orderly and acceptable manner within a given time frame. It is a systematic approach that aims at sustainable management of natural resources and livelihood development at the village level. It is aimed at creating an environment for investors of the village in the long run.

The purpose of the exercise was to guide the two villages prepare a development plan in a cluster fashion. A manual (including the different participatory and learning tools and methods) prepared by the PSMNR-SWP through its lead partner responsible for result 4 - DED was used throughout the planning process. The specific objective of the assignment was to assist the villagers find solutions for CBNRM strategies that shall contribute to improving livelihood as well as smaller infrastructure projects (demand driven), also find solutions for communal forest management activities and finally include within the VDP, a “Package” of priority interventions recommended for implementation through the PSMNR-SWP.

The development planning process of Ekonjo and Upper Boando villages lasted a total of ten days. In each village, five days were spent so as to assess the base situation and document the strengths, potentials and problems for development. In the last two days, joint meetings were organized to finally select and prioritized the projects for the two villages, and also come out with a strategic and annual implementation plan and a monitoring and evaluation plan.

Ekonjo and Upper Boando villages are found in Buea municipality, located within the Buea Sub-division in Fako Division of the South West Region. Upper Boando and Ekonjo villages are quite small villages in terms of population sizes. Ekonjo village has a total of 104 persons with 54 of them permanently residing in the village and 50 outside. Upper Boando on the other hand has 77 persons, 26 of them residing in the village and 51 outside.

The main economic activity of the two villages is farming and the most important crops cultivated are plantain and banana. For Ekonjo, average revenue generated from plantains per household per year is 158,000 FCFA and for Upper Boando is 328,000 FCA.

Table of Contents

• EXECUCTIVE SUMMARY
• SECTION 1: REPORT ON ASSESSMENT.
• CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.
• 1.1 Location
• 1.2 Accessibility.
• 1.3 Population sizes and structure of the villages.
• 1.4 Climate and vegetation
• 1.5 Livelihood activities
• 1.6 Development concerns and potentials
• 1.7 Objectives
• CHAPTER 2: SOCIOECONOMIC BASELINE SURVEY
• 2.1 Population (sex, age, ethnic group) ..
• 2.1.1 Ethnicity ..
• 2.1.2 Age and sex ratio
• 2.2 Historical analysis...........
• 2.3 Time line
• 2.4 Sources and levels of income.....
• 2.5 Areas of expenditure.
• 2.6 Village institutions and organisation
• 2.7 Natural resources management authorities
• 2.8 Social amenities (water, school, health facilities etc.).
• 2.9 Social problems….…………………..\li>
• 2.10 Interaction with other villages
• 2.11 Past and current development projects and partners involved..
• CHAPTER 3: LIVELIHOOD ACTIVITIES.
• 3.1 Plantain and banana farming..
• 3.2 Cocoyam farming……....
• 3.3 Pepper
• 3.4 Vegetables.........
• 3.5 Maize
• 3.6 Fruits
• 3.7 NTFP gathering.
• 3.8 Animal husbandry.
• 3.9 Timber exploitation...
• 3.10 Coffee and oil palm production
• 3.11 Particular activities and the months when they occur..
• CHAPTER 4: PARTICIPATORY LAND USE MAP AND TENURE …………………..\li>
  • 4.1 Participative land use mapping.
  • 4.2 Land tenure system.
• CHAPTER 5: HUMAN AND PROTECTED AREA INTERACTION..
• 5.1 Awareness of existing conservation issues or protected areas...
• 5.2 Local perceptions and attitudes...
• 5.3 Impact of existing livelihood activities on natural resources..
• 5.4 Eistence of animal/human conflicts.
• 5.5 Existence of conservation mechanisms and relationship with MINFOF.
• SECTION 2: REPORT ON PLANNING
• CHAPTER 6: NEED ASSESSMET AND OUTLINE OF PRIORITY PROJECTS ...........
• 6.1 List of problems identified by Ekonjo and Upper Boando.
• 6.2 List of solutions identified for Ekonjo and Upper Boando.
• 6.3 Village development goals
• 6.4 Priority development objectives based on PSMNR objectives..
• 6.4.1 CBNRSM (towards conservation of natural resources).....
• 6.4.2 CBNRSM and income (NTFP and agriculture).
• 6.4.3 Infrastructure & livelihood
• 6.5 The Ekonjo and Upper Boando shared vision.
• CHAPTER 7: PLANNED ACTIVITIES AND OUTLINE OF PRIORITY PROJECTS ...
• 7.1 Selected priority projects based on impact ranking

Objectives and Key Themes

The Village Development Plan for Ekonjo and Upper Boando villages aims to promote sustainable natural resource management in the South West Region of Cameroon, focusing on the villages' unique socio-economic and environmental contexts. The plan intends to identify key challenges, propose solutions, and outline a comprehensive approach to development. It integrates the perspectives of the local community, with particular emphasis on community-based natural resource management.

• Sustainable Natural Resource Management
• Community Development and Participation
• Livelihood Diversification and Improvement
• Conservation of Biodiversity
• Addressing Social and Economic Challenges

Chapter Summaries

• Chapter 1: Introduction. This chapter provides an overview of the study area, including its location, accessibility, population demographics, climate and vegetation, and the main livelihood activities. It also highlights development concerns and potentials for the villages of Ekonjo and Upper Boando.
• Chapter 2: Socioeconomic Baseline Survey. This chapter delves into the socioeconomic characteristics of the villages, examining population structure, historical analysis, time line, income sources, expenditure patterns, village institutions, and social amenities. It also examines interactions between the villages and their involvement in past and present development projects.
• Chapter 3: Livelihood Activities. This chapter explores the key livelihood activities practiced in the villages, including agriculture (plantain, banana, cocoyam, pepper, vegetables, maize, and fruits), non-timber forest products (NTFP) gathering, animal husbandry, timber exploitation, and coffee and oil palm production. It also analyzes the seasonal calendar of these activities.
• Chapter 4: Participatory Land Use Map and Tenure. This chapter focuses on the land use practices and tenure systems in the villages. It describes the participatory land use mapping process and examines the prevailing land ownership and management systems.
• Chapter 5: Human and Protected Area Interaction. This chapter explores the relationship between the local community and existing protected areas. It investigates their awareness of conservation issues, local perceptions and attitudes towards conservation, the impacts of livelihood activities on natural resources, the existence of animal-human conflicts, and the presence of local conservation mechanisms.
• Chapter 6: Need Assessment and Outline of Priority Projects. This chapter identifies key problems and challenges facing the villages, outlines potential solutions, and establishes village development goals. It outlines priority development objectives aligned with the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (PSMNR) program and explores the shared vision of Ekonjo and Upper Boando.
• Chapter 7: Planned Activities and Outline of Priority Projects. This chapter presents the selected priority projects based on their potential impact. The chapter analyzes the timing, responsibilities, indicators, and means of verification for each project.

Keywords

The central focus of this Village Development Plan is the sustainable management of natural resources. The text emphasizes community-based approaches, livelihood diversification, conservation of biodiversity, and addressing social and economic challenges. The plan incorporates local perspectives and uses participatory methods to develop practical solutions for the villages of Ekonjo and Upper Boando.

• Auteur: Suinyuy Derrick Ngoran (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2009
• Pages: 62
• N° de catalogue: V269169
• ISBN (ebook): 9783656608448
• ISBN (Livre): 9783656608431
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: village, development, plan, ekonjo, upper, boando, villages, sustainable, natural, resource, management, oriented