Plantain, Banana: Remedy Crops For Igbo Coco Problem

 The gradual extinction of Igbo coco (Colocasia esculenta) in Cameroon has left many farmers wanting for what next to do as a source of income and better livelihood. However, one of Cameroon’s top agro-forester and soil and water scientist, Patrick Sama-Lang, in an exclusive interview with The Green Vision’s Ambele Eric at his office in IRAD Ekona, reassures that farmers can conveniently switch to intensive plantain and/or banana production alongside the planting of trees within an agroforestry system in order to increase their yields and livelihoods. He proposes managing production with trees as a sustainable solution to a number of other agricultural problems. 

What is the place of plantain and banana production within the agro-forestry system in Cameroon?
Firstly, agro-forestry is simply the growing of crops and the keeping of livestock and/or other conventional and non-conventional animals like fish and snails with trees; in a nutshell agro-forestry is farming with trees. So, whenever trees are considered when opening a farm or keeping livestock, agro-forestry is being practised. This could be when a farm is developed from a virgin forest or other forest or when in an area without trees a farm is created alongside trees or after the introduction of trees. Where there existed trees, some are cut down in a selective way.  Plantain, cocoyam, pepper and a number of other crops fit into this system very much, especially when you’re talking of perennial crop production practices in Cameroon. This is seen in cocoa, coffee, oil palm and rubber smallholder schemes. 
In agro-forestry practice, plantains and bananas are semi-shade tolerant and more tolerant to production stress. Consequently, plantains, like bananas in an agro-forestry system in Cameroon fit very much because these crops need moisture during the drier season of the year when there is no rainfall and also shade perennial crops like cocoa during the premature phase of their growth. If you look at it critically, banana which could be considered a sister to plantain is massively grown during the drier months of the year because of additional water through irrigation. During such periods, other crops including plantains depend on soil water and shade on the soil is therefore very important. Plantains and bananas that are grown in a home garden where there are trees or in a young cocoa farm where they serve as shades during the first part of the cocoa’s life span grow and do well without irrigation. Thus, plantain production in Cameroon, considered together with banana, be it on small or large scale if grown with trees in a systematic or step by step manner can be sustainable. 
These and other kinds of crops like cocoyam, possibly taro and pepper need some shade and some amount of moisture to produce during a good part of the year.
There is much talk on plantain and banana production now as remedy crops for Igbo coco, why these crops?
Money is important as farming becomes an income generation activity. Plantain and banana are amongst crops which if you don’t sell, can be channelled into domestic and other uses. Agro-industrial plantations in Cameroon like CDC, Delmonte and others will tell you that today in Cameroon; these crops are produced in large quantities because of their socio-economic benefits not only for Cameroon but are exported for consumption elsewhere bringing about a positive balance of payment to the country. In the midst of other crops, plantains and bananas stand out in high demand, income generating and as a source of employment too. Moreover, even if the markets for these crops are not there, they can be eaten, unlike cocoa and coffee, thus, better livelihoods.  I’m sure that plantain and banana have come to stay; they had been there before. A lot of people are already making life out of them now, even those going just for the planting materials sector.
What are the potentials of plantain and banana production?
The potentials are there but they are different in the way they are supposed to be used. First, if we take seriously how we manage trees, I’m sure plantain and banana will come in smoothly across and the potentials will be effectively used. Secondly, there are potentials even in the Northern parts, noted to be very dry, if we can re-afforest; the environment will also be protected. Plantain is between the lower and upper storey in the natural set-up. It naturally grows in Cameroon after its native India and Asian origin. If we do proper cost-benefit analysis, we will realise that these crops can go a long way by trying to intensively produce them with trees; knowing when we are clearing the forest or knowing when we are planting the crops starting with trees, even life fencing, and trying to do it together with animals. Plantains and bananas stand a chance of forming life fences too for farmers who want to grow certain crops or varieties like pelipita that are perennial and of other uses.
How suitable is the Cameroonian soil in the mass production of these crops?
Plantain and banana, coming from native India, tell you that they are tropical crops – meaning sunshine is sufficiently good for their growth. However, the problem with their production could be water. If we could guarantee drainage where there is abundant water, coupled with the good soil Cameroon has and guarantees of good soils on the one hand, and regular water supply on the other hand where the soil is too dry like in the North, the soil will be good for plantain and banana production, especially if trees are considered in the production practices. 
This is one of the reasons the government of Cameroon is fighting against the indiscriminate cutting down of trees and rather encouraging the regeneration of forests. Also, Cameroon has abundant volcanic soil which is a good potential for the production of these crops. For example, as at now, we are making sure that no farmer goes for cocoa planting without thinking of planting plantain. For every one cocoa plant you plant, there must be four plantains planted around it. This guarantees the farmer three years of constant production of plantains in what is called perennial crop agro-forestry production system of plantain and cocoa.