Cameroon is endowed with a very rich biodiversity and this is explained by its geographical location near the equator and in the heart of Africa, rich volcanic soils in the south and a good watershed, which accounts for good drainage systems.
After Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa and Madagascar, Cameroon comes 4th in biodiversity richness with a high degree of endemism. This rich biodiversity is seriously under threat, with a heavy reduction of species numbers through agriculture, fishery, forestry activities and wildlife poaching.
The flora comprises 250 Families which are 1179 genera and 7850 Species (Onana 2010, 2011) which includes trees, shrubs and herbs both wild and domesticated Cameroon does not have a gene bank at the national level so the farming communities do rely on the farming community gene bank cooperatives for their seeds.
These communities do lack good storage facilities to keep these materials viable for long-term use, as all is stored in bags. This further frustrates the biodiversity which is threatened with extinction.
There is the need for a Freezer to store and conserve these diverse genetic materials for long-term use and Eco germ Farmers seeks to set a starting point by bringing the various gene bank community cooperatives together to get something structured in this regard too.
This will facilitate the representation of community gene bank cooperatives in these regions to a national platform or gene bank whenever it will be established and set the pace for other communities to follow.
The project will work with Partners to achieve the best results in all three communities where the freezer will be kept to safeguard genetic resources and prolong their viability, of interest to this vital project, in the regeneration of the crop diversity and safety duplication of indigenous, endangered species in the aforementioned communities for long-term Storage at Svalbard Global Seed Vault mindful of its importance to posterity, given the various pressures on biodiversity.
The regeneration will take place in Sabongari and Bamendankwe in the north-west region and Tiko in the south-west region. These are areas with rich soils, available water and our selected crop will seed well in these regions and the regions have a diversity of microclimates, of interest to our results.
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