Tropicultura (Jan 2018)
Migrations agricoles et développement durable, couple toujours inconciliable ?: l'exemple de Koza II dans la région du Nord-Cameroun
Abstract
Are Agricultural Migrations and Sustainable Development Incompatible? The example of Koza II in the North- Cameroon Region. Migrations in the Northern Region are a relatively old phenomenon. They date back to the early 1970s and were initiated and supervised by the State, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and spontaneous initiatives. Very often they have been analyzed as a source of conflict and destruction of the environment. The migrations of the populations of the Far North towards the south of Garoua responded to a need to relieve the mountain areas, which were then overpopulated and suffering extreme poverty, by the development of agriculture, notably cotton. Deforestation and conflicting views are not lacking in this context, but they can lead to a greater awareness of conservation of the environment and institutional social engineering of cohabitation where the interests of different members are balanced. This approach has obscured and compromised a resilience that has allowed for a certain socio-economic, environmental and ecological sustainability, as can be seen in Koza II. However, the hope to achieve sustainable development in the context of migration, as in Koza II, means taking up the challenge of guaranteeing local interests and articulating them with the national and even international ones.