Cameroon

July 3-14, 2017

Background:

It is our desire in the Department of Agriculture to enrich the education of our students with educational field trips overseas. This idea started gaining support in the Department following presentations by some of our students including Taylor McNeel, Caleigh Sue Moyer, Lucas Head, and Jade Halliburton, who benefited from Future Farmers of America (FFA) funding to travel to South Africa and Japan. Lessons shared by those students upon their return proved to be very enriching and prompted the need to make such an opportunity possible for more students. For this year and in the next few, we will focus on “Tropical Agriculture” and organize a summer trip to Cameroon, Africa.

Objectives:

The Tropical Agriculture Project is uniquely designed to give college students enrolled or interested in AGEC 4013 (International Business in Agriculture) an opportunity to experience international agriculture first hand, and get a better understanding of the global nature of agriculture. While overseas, students will be exposed to different areas of the agricultural industry, especially for products highly consumed in the US but produced in Africa. Specifically, the program will serve to:

• Expose students to production methods for cocoa, coffee, bananas, rubber, and palm oil, with tours of plantations and processing plants;
• Create awareness regarding international markets for these tropical agricultural commodities;
• Help students better understand current international trade patterns and cultural issues regarding cocoa, coffee, rubber, palm oil, and bananas;
• Expose students to agricultural education, research, and extension in Cameroon;
• Help students explore Africa potential careers in international agriculture production, marketing, and trade.
• Explore Cameroon’s agricultural infrastructure in comparison with that of US.

This is a great opportunity for SAU students to be exposed to Africa’s agricultural systems, technology, as well as culture.  Most importantly, students gain new insights on the importance of US agriculture in a global context.

2017 Participants:

Student Participants

1. Kory Callaway, Junior in Agribusiness
2. Laura Nash, Junior in Agribusiness
3. Nicole Noga, Junior in Agricultural Sciences
4. Jacinda Passmore, Senior in Agricultural Education

Faculty Participants

1. Pierre Boumtje (Department of Agriculture, main advisor)
2. Martine Boumtje (Department of English & Foreign Languages, chaperon)

Participants from Magnolia Community

1. Dr. Matthew Barnett, M.D., Southern Medical Group, Magnolia
2. Mrs. Corey Barnett, Registered Nurse, Southern Medical Group, Magnolia

Itinerary:

The 2017 trip will take place from July 3 to July 14, 2017.

• July 2 - 3: Participants will fly to Yaoundé (Cameroon)
• July 4: Participants arrive in Yaoundé (Cameroon)
• July 5: Tour of Yaoundé. Visit with officials of Cameroon Ministry of Agriculture and Nkolbisson Agricultural Research Center (Yaoundé)
• July 6: Tour of cocoa plantations at Nkoemvon Research Center (Ebolowa)
• July 7 – 9: Tour of small scale farmers’ operations in Ibong vicinity
• July 10: Tour of SOCAPALM palm oil plantations and processing plant (Edéa)
• July 11: Tour of HEVECAM rubber plantations and processing plant (Kribi)
• July 11 - 12: Tour of small scale farmers’ operations in Nkom vicinity
• July 13: Return flights departing from Yaoundé

Your gift today will provide students with encouragement and financial support to help them absorb the cost of this very unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

We hope you will consider supporting our project and sharing with others you think may be willing to help! Your gift, large or small, will make a big difference for us!