Dwindling abundance: The Baka facing climate change

In the equatorial forest of Eastern Cameroon, the Baka have traditionally lived from hunting and gathering, in harmony with an environment that was once generous. However, this abundance has gradually diminished under the effects of climate change, economic instability, and the influx of refugees fleeing conflicts in the Central African Republic. Droughts, floods, and growing pressure on natural resources have profoundly disrupted the way of life of these communities.

In Mayos, a Baka village of nearly 600 inhabitants in the district of Dimako, food insecurity has worsened. To find cassava leaves, families sometimes walked more than 50 kilometers on foot, leading to school absenteeism among children. Elders feared that traditional knowledge would disappear without viable alternatives. 

To address this crisis, FAO implemented, between April 2024 and June 2025, the Emergency Project to Combat the Food Crisis in Cameroon (PULCCA), financed by the World Bank and carried out in partnership with the Government. The objective: to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable households by introducing new, adapted production techniques.

In Mayos, the Baka benefited from support that integrated their ancestral knowledge with modern agricultural approaches. Production kits — cassava and plantain cuttings, yam seedlings, small ruminants, and poultry — were provided. More than 30 training sessions introduced improved agricultural practices and modern beekeeping.

A specialized cassava school was created, becoming a place for men and women of the village to share knowledge. Beekeeping, once practiced in a rudimentary and risky way, offered new economic opportunities. It opened new perspectives and provided income that boosted school attendance and improved nutrition.

“Thanks to training and protective equipment, we harvest clean, high-quality honey and earn enough to meet our families’ needs,” explains Angoula Nestor, a new Baka beekeeper.

Today, cassava is cultivated locally, and honey has become a source of pride and income. As elder Dieudonné Noutcheguenou explains, the project has strengthened the village’s autonomy.

The FAO Representative in Cameroon, Antonio Querido, emphasizes that “this project is not only an emergency response to the food crisis. It is a commitment to help, by strengthening their resilience, vulnerable communities, particularly indigenous peoples, to become full actors in their own development.”

In total, 374 people directly benefited from the project in Mayos, contributing to a broader impact reaching nearly 25,000 households in Eastern Cameroon.