GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Tomato (Lycopersion esculentum) is one of the main open field vegetables cultivated and consumed in Cameroon in general and Buea in particular. It has great dietary and economic importance and it is a key input in agro-allied industrial products. Tomato production in Cameroon is estimated at 877,937 tonnes with an accompanying yield level of 12,286Kg/ha (Faostat, 2014), a bulk of its production comes from the southwest region. Never the less, this is much lower than the mean world (33,988kg/ha) figures for the same year. Such low yields may be due to the inefficient production level of farmers.

This research is carried out on the “Problem and Prospects of Tomato Production within the Buea Municipality”. It comprises of four chapters with each bringing out data necessary to analyse and draw relevant conclusion on the subject matter. Chapter one introduces the study and lays down the foundation on which the rest of the research work is built Chapter two deals with methodology, conceptual framework, theoretical  framework for the collection and analysis of research findings, while Chapter three review the relevant literature obtained from the field and different books, and finally chapter four is concern with Data analysis, questionnaires, draw a conclusion on the general research and provide recommendations based on the findings in the research.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1:1 Introduction

This chapter (chapter 1) will comprise of the background of the study, statement of the problem which explains the main issue at stake as concerning the “Problem and Prospects of Tomato Production within the Buea Municipality”. It will also consist of the research questions, the main and specific objectives of the study, and the significance of the study which explains the importance and relevance of this research work both in the academic milieu and the society as a whole.

1.2 Background of the Study

The cultivation of tomato, Solanum Lycoperison is the world most highly consumed vegetable due to its status as a basic ingredient in a large variety of raw,cooked,or processed foods. Tomato is grown worldwide for local use or as export crop. In 2014 the global area cultivated with tomato was 5million hectares with a production of 171 million tones. The major tomato producing countries in the developed world are the republic of China and India (FAOSTAT,2017). Tomato can be grown in a variety of geographical zones in open fields or greenhouse, and the fruit can be harvest manual or mechanical means. This crop plant can be perennial or semi -perennial but commercially it is considered an annual (Geisenberg and Stewart,1986).

Cultivated tomato is related to wild tomatoes originating from Peru, Ecuador and other parts of South America including the Galapagos Islands. The centre of its domestication and diversification is Mexico (Spooner and Knapp,2018)

The common name known all over the world “Tomato” originates from a Spanish usage assigned to the Mexican.

According to Tan et al. (2010), the present-day tomato has very short history of human consumption. It was believed to have its origin in the South American Andes (Naika et al.2005) which is in present-day Peru where it was growing in the wild at the foot of hills. It was then taken to other parts of the world by the early explorers where it was planted as ornamental curiosities but not eaten. In Europe for instance; it was planted in gardens as decorative plants and was considered poisonous. Although tomato was accepted later as an edible crop in Europe in about 1840(Paran and van der knaap 2007) there was still strict opposition to its consumption to other parts of the world

Tomato and tomato products are an important part of human diets. Currently, tomato has a higher consumption rate in developed countries and is often referred to as a luxury crop.  This is a herbaceous, usually sprawling plant of the nightshade family that is typically cultivated for its edible fruit.  The scientific species name Lycopersicon means “wolf peach”, and comes from German werewolf myths.  These said that deadly nightshade was used to summon werewolves, so the tomato’s similar but much larger fruit was called the “wolf peach” when it arrived in Europe from the New World. It presents itself in different shapes, sizes and colours with different Brix or sugar levels.  Tomatoes have very high lycopene content, which has several health benefits.  Some plants have a self-pruning gene responsible for determining the determinate growth habit.  Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry have similarly increased the output of meat, but have raised concerns about animal welfare and environmental damage. The Portuguese also took it to their territories around Southern Africa at an early date: explorers found it there around 1850.  There is evidence that it was also brought to the Cape from the East: The Africans name for the vegetable “tamatie” probably originates from the Malay word “tamatte”.  From a very humble start the tomato grew to one of the most popular vegetable crops in the world today and in developing countries, tomato has become an important part of the food basket as well.

Tomato is the most widely consumed vegetable type in Cameroon, Buea not been left out does not only produces this crop but also consumes it in dishes such as vegetable salad, tomato source, and fried rice

Cameroon like many other Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries are still dependent on agriculture for food and livelihood with the exploitation of natural resources remaining the driving force for the country’s economic growth and development. Farming is a vital sector involving 80%of the country’s poor and contributing about 30% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Molua and Lambi, 2006). Since independence (1961), the Cameroonian government has made many attempts to improve the productivity of smallholder agriculture in the country. For tomato, this has involved the development of high yielding varieties, subsidization of improved seed varieties and fertilizers, liberalization of tomato prices and product marketing. Despite all these efforts, food security continues to be a problem in Cameroon as is the situation in a number of Sub-Saharan African countries. One important step towards achieving food security could be increasing productivity through enhancing efficiency in production (Wudineh and Endrias, 2016). In terms of food production, Cameroon is one of the few African countries to have achieved virtual food self-sufficiency and even earns foreign exchange of over 40% (DSCN, 2002). Attempts are still being made to improve the agricultural sector in Cameroon (GESP, 2009). Climatic conditions such as temperature (20 to 28°C), and annual rainfall (3000 to 5000 mm) (Manga et al., 2013) are favourable for agriculture. The population is cosmopolitan with most of the people living in small scale or peasant farming.

Despite its favourable climatic condition for the cultivation of tomatoes and other agricultural products, the production capacity of Cameroon in general and Buea, in particular, is still well below average. One of the main reasons for this low productivity in agriculture which is not particular to Cameroon is the inability of farmers to fully exploit the available technologies and production techniques coupled with limited factors of production which has made it difficult for farmers to improve production through the use of more inputs (Kavoi et al., 2016). The less than optimal performance of the agricultural sector creates a vacuum for food sustenance which ought to be looked into particularly the smallholder tomato farming sector since it involves a good number of households and therefore is vital for food security.

One key to increasing food production in Cameroon lies in raising agricultural productivity through improving the technical efficiency of resource use in agriculture. Productivity entails both technological improvements and technical efficiency (Ogada et al., 2014). Improving the technical efficiency of farmers will lead to an increase in the yield of farmers which will, in turn, lead to increase in food supply, food security, higher incomes and better standards of living. This will go a long way to reduce the dependence and importation of canned tomatoes as high yields will promote the proliferation of agro-allied industries which will process the tomato fruits. In addition, this will increase the domestic supply which will lead to lower prices in local markets and the potential to export for foreign exchange earnings. However, the main problem here is the existence of very little land to cultivate and improve on the output. Furthermore, the available labour is not well-trained and lack the needed experience to push production to the next level. Finally, there is inadequate institutional support given to tomato farmers coupled with very little access to credits and inputs.

 

1.3 Statement of the Problem.

Nevertheless, despite the fertile volcanic soils favourable for agriculture, its favourable tropical climate nonpareil to the growth of plants of all sorts and its good drainage ideal for tomato cultivation in the Buea municipality, tomato cultivation is still well below the average potential of this region. Farmers and experts in the agricultural sector associate the municipalities low production to a number of factors amongst which are: The presence of pest and tomato related diseases (tomato blight) which attacks the plants reducing agricultural yields, also lake of farm to market roads is also a huge problem as farmers find it extremely difficult to get their yields to the market for sales, more so because the crops potential yield is very unpredictable as a result of  pest and tomato related diseases, farmers turn to invest very little capital into tomato farming for fear of losing everything they have. Furthermore, most farmers in the Buea municipality are peasant farmer and as such have neither the capital nor the technology to produce high yielding and disease-resistant plants for greater productivity. Finally, because Buea is fast becoming an urban city, there is very little accessible land for tomato cultivation, most of the lands along the roads, are occupied with giant buildings.

Therefore my focus in this study is to identify the problems faced by tomato farmers in the Buea municipality, propose solutions to the problems faced, and analyse future prospects for the sector.

 

1.4 Research Questions

1.4.1 The main research question on the topic includes:

What are the problems and prospects faced by tomato farmers in the Buea Municipality?

1.4.1.1 Specific Research Questions:

1. What are the different steps used in tomato cultivated by farmers in the Buea municipality?
2. What are the problems faced in tomato production in Buea municipality?
3. What are the possible solutions that can be put in place in order to remedy these problems?