Abstract

Climate change, mainly increasing temperatures and irregular rainfall, is significantly affecting the North of Cameroon. Agriculture and livestock production are very vulnerable to the effects of climate change and rural households lack efficient adaptation strategies. Another main concern is the energy sector, with firewood representing two-thirds of the country’s primary energy consumption, resulting in the degradation of the already fragile landscapes. Furthermore, access to and affordability of electricity remain low for a major part of the rural population. In response, INNOVACC aims to improve farmers’ and pastoralists’ capacities to adapt to climate change and institutions’ ability to enable this adaptation. Furthermore, innovations in terms of renewable energy are assessed and pilot-tested. The project works with farmer and pastoralist organizations for the implementation of climate-smart practices and the co-development of agroclimatic information services in 6 climate-smart villages in the North and Far-North regions of Cameroon. The project also seeks to empower women through the development of non-timber forest and agroforestry product value chains that are resilient to climate change. Youths are supported for the creation of green jobs. Lastly, we improve our understanding of the policy and institutional objectives, methods, constraints, and opportunities with regards to the generation, diffusion, and adoption of climate-smart practices, in order to propose appropriate incentives and supporting measures.