Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics and impact of gari production in the Muyuka subdivision. From the analysis, there is a close relationship between gari production and the forces of demand, supply, and price. The farmers most often face problems in their methods of production, processing, storage, distribution, and marketing of gari.

The major objectives include assessing the various stages of gari production, examining the impact of gari production in the lives of the Muyuka people, make an appraisal of the types, forms, and techniques of this agricultural activity in Muyuka, and lastly to highlight the strategies to ensure productivity and sustainability of gari in this area. Various methods were employed in the data collection process, including primary and secondary sources.

Primary sources include field observation, verbal interviews, and secondary sources from documented information were consulted. Findings show that peasant agriculture and gari production has held drawbacks as well as positive impacts.

Agricultural output is low due to the practice of poor farming systems such as shifting cultivation, slash and burn and bush farming. As a result, gari production is slow and its output is low due to the old traditional methods employed in gari production like old cylindrical graters and frying pots.

As a result of gari production in Muyuka, the living standards of the people have been improved upon as well as changes in feeding habits. Also, another social impact is that education of children, economic impacts include employment, trade, and commerce not leaving out cultural impacts. However, negative impacts are also experienced such as theft, migration, deforestation, and pollution.

Solutions have been given to help solve the problems faced by farmers and gari producers in this area. These include the formation of farming groups through which the farmers and gari producers can learn better ways of farming, considering the importance of subsistence agriculture to the inhabitants of this subdivision and better means of producing gari.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

The term agriculture is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as a science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool and other products. It originates from a Latin word “Agricultura” with ager, meaning “field” and cultura “growing, cultivation”.

It is grown in over 90 countries and cassava is the third most important source of calories in the tropics after rice and maize. Garri is produced from cassava on a wide scale in most of the third world countries. it is a staple food for half a billion people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Cassava is grown by poor farmers especially women often on marginal land.  it is a source of commercial feed, and starch for food and pharmaceutical industries (Source: Medical Laboratory Science, 2008).

Cassava originates from America and was first introduced into Africa in the Congo Basin by the Portuguese around 1558. The global production of cassava has nearly doubled over the past 30 years about 230 metric tonnes in 2010. Half is in Africa, with a third in Asia and 145 in Latin America. Nigeria is the largest producer growing 38 million metric tons in 2010. Other major producers are Brazil, Indonesia,, Thailand and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The processing of cassava into garri undergoes various processes.

Gari is a granulated cassava product that is cherished by urban consumers because of the convenience of long shelf lie ready to eat form. Gari is relatively cheap as compared to other food items such as rice, beans, maize, plantain and vegetables. Gari is low in the nutritional quality of consumed alone.(Socarl, 1992).

Gari is one of the global staple food items which is consumed mostly in the tropical regions of most developing countries and especially in west Africa. This fermented and gelatinized dry coarse flour is very popular in West Africa and a staple food in Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, and Togo. Gari also know as garri, gany or tapioca are food made from cassava tubers. In latest Africa, there are two types “White” and “yellow” garri. The yellow gari is prepared by frying with the addition of palm oil to give it a yellow colour; while white gari is fried without palm oil(Flach M. 1990).

Gari is formed after frying in various consistencies, which can roughly be categorized into rough, medium and smooth forms. Each type is use for a particular meal in different countries. Its ability to store well and its acceptance as a “convenience food” is responsible for its increasing population in the urban areas of west and central Africa. Gari is produced both on a local scale and on a global scale mat is traditionally and commercially (FAO, 2000).

Traditionally gari is produced mostly by women at the village level, working indecently or organized into informal groups or cooperatives which are therefore an important part of the women’s daily work.

The traditional processing techniques are laborious long and tedious. These techniques include peeling, washing, grating, fermentation, pressing, sieving, frying, and drying. While the improved or commercial methods are done on a large scale using machines thus time and energy are saved (Bencini, 1991). Gari productions a rural enterprise that adds value to the product and increases the marketing opportunities for small and semi-subsistence farmers.

Garri is consumed everywhere in Cameroon and especially in the urban areas of the country and Muyuka in particular. Garri is produced in many areas in Cameroon such as Kumba, Yoke, Yoke, Ekona, Ekondo Titi, Bamend, Pendaboko, Mamfe, and Banga Kakundu.

In Cameroon, many of the cylindrical power graters used in villages are based on the design of CENEEMA which has some unique single features intended to improve, grating efficiency and output without necessarily increasing the power requirement.

With the drastic increases in the prices of most basic goods and series, most people turn to gari consumption since it is easy and cheap to prepare. The supply determines the amount of garri available in the market, the demand for garri determines the number of people ready to buy garri and the price determines the unit pr glass for which garri is sold in a market day.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Problems of the market forces (Demand, Supply, and Price)

The market forces of demand, supply, and price affect or influence the production in Muyuka. The demand, supply, and price forces are the determinants of the market conditions in every given market. The market forces are demand, supply, and price given market. The marketed forces are demand, supply, and price.

These forces act on each other to influence the production, distribution and consumption of garri in Muyuka. In each given market day, when the supply of cassava is high more will be demanded but if this supply is much more than the available people willing to purchase it, there is bound to be excess / surplus of cassava and thus the price will be low.

The low price of the cassava plant will provoke more people to engage in themselves in the gari sector. When many people join the garri enterprise to produce garri because of the availability and cheap price of cassava, Garri will be produced on a large scale and the price of garri will equally below because of overproduction. When this occurs, the garri producers and the cassava farmer will be discouraged.

This situation of discouragement will now cause many to abandon the gari business while the cassava farmers will put less cassava in next market day as compare to the previous market day amount, for example, interviews with one of the cassava farmer explain that in one market day she supplies eight bags of cassava for sale but when the cassava in the hole market is too much and only back by few buyers, it will cause her to supply only four bags the next market day in order not to ensure too many losses.

Never the less when the amount of cassava in the market is relatively small, this will cause the cassava farmers and the gari producers to make huge profits as a result of the high price of cassava and gari. This can also be explained to the fact that the supply of cassava and gari will be left in the hands of few individuals, who have a high capital base and they have a perfect knowledge of the market conditions/behaviors.

The high demand for cassava and garri which is not back up by high supply will cause scarcity and shortage of garri in the market. The scarcity will result from many buyers from other parts of the country who were informed of the cheap price of gari and cassava in the previous market to rush to Muyuka the next market to get it whereas only a few sellers are available.

The shortage arises when available gari is purchased only by few individuals who have a high purchasing capacity of buying garri in bulk and retailing it in other parts of the country thereby rendering other low and medium purchasers to buy only a small amount or go without buying any.

Poor waste disposal

The disposal of waste is a very big problem in Muyuka the inhabitants of Muyuka lack sensitization on the disposal of waste and its adverse effects. For this reason, they dispose of their waste anywhere in the local environment. Some carry the waste to their farm’s others dump it behind their houses while others dump it in the nearby or surrounding bushes. It should be noted that no strict measures have been put in place to control the disposal of waste.

There is a high level of pollution in Muyuka. This pollution arises from the poor disposal and management of solid waste. There is no deficit area set up for the disposal of waste in Muyuka. This has caused pollution to be very high as garbages is rampant across the street and the whole community. The appearance of stagnant water at grinding nulls and garri production areas also characterizes the problem of pollution.

Storage Problem

There is the aspect of storage problem of garri in Muyuka. The farmers and producers have limited knowledge on how to store or present garri in a good condition for long. Most often the farmers prefer to store cassava after harvesting by allowing it on the ground in a cold dry place while some dig holes and put the cassava inside and covering it with dry grass or leaves. The problem with this method of cassava storage is that most of it get rotten and others affected by pest, rats, and goats.

The procedures of gari prefer to store gari by frying it well and store it in a bag, bucket, or basin which is protected by plastic papers so that cold will not enter inside. The problem with this storage method of the procures of garri is that the garri often gets fermented and mold up, especially in situations where it was not well fried and dried. With this problem, both the farmers and the garri producers ensure huge losses.

Bad farm to Market Road

There is a problem with the farm-to-market roads. The farm-to-market road is very bad because it is characterized by tracks and footpaths with only a very few secondary roads. These roads are mostly seasonal that is availability is fluctuating with the dry and wet seasons. In the rainy seasons, these roads are very muddy and almost impossible.

This also causes the trucks to have broken down. In the dry season, the roads are very dusty even though it eases movements too and fro, it still possesses a problem with the old receptive farmers who move barefooted to have wounds and cracks on their feet because of the hatches of the soil.

Poor method of production

The method of garri production Muyuka is very poor. This is partly because most producers still use the old. Method of fermentation that is over the duration of the cassava in water, poor method of pressing (tying ground cassava in a bag and pressing it with a stick), poor method of grating instead of the mechanize graters they still use the old traditional graters. Poor method of frying and drying. Instead of using the mechanized frying and drying method (mechanical gratifier), they still use the old traditional fireplace to fry it. After frying and drying, the receptive garri producers hardly sieve the gari. Reasons why small crumbs are always found in the finish gari.

1.3 Objectives of the study

1.3.1 Main objectives

To investigate the rational impact of the market forces (demand, supply, and price) on the quality and quantity of gari in Muyuka and to examine the conduct of garri production.

1.3.2 Specific objectives

1. To examine the socio-economic characteristics of the producers in the study area.
2. To identify the strategies to implement the concept of gari sufficiency and security in the community of Muyuka.
3. To assess the impact of seasonal variation on the production of garri in Muyuka
4. To examine and evaluate the problems and constraints faced by the producers of garri in Muyuka
5. To examine the people’s rule in the production of gari.
6. To evaluate the role of the government and other NGOs in the production of garri sufficiency and security in Muyuka.