L’institut européen de coopération et de développement (IECD) et la formation Professionnelle agricole au Cameroun (1992- 2016) : cas des EFA de Batouri et de Njombe

Abstract

This brief is intitled : ‘’European Institute for Cooperation and Development (IECD) and vocational agricultural training in Cameroun (1992-2016) : cases of Familly Agricultural Schools of Batouri and Njombe-Penja. The economic crisis that hit Cameroon in the mid-1980s led to the disengagement of the State from almost all sectors of the country's economic and social life. This strong propensity for liberalization had severe consequences for the peasantry, whose living conditions deteriorate following the minimization of State support. The land left free by the State paved the way for the intervention of non-institutional actors, both international and local, such as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). It is therefore in this wake that the European Institute for Cooperation and Development (IECD) set up in Cameroon in 1992 with, among other objectives, to provide technical and professional assist ance to certain rural populations through the Family Agricultural Schools (EFA). This study therefore deals with the relevance of the intervention of this French NGO in agricultural and rural development. It aims to assess the contribution of this organization in improving the conditions of farms in the Njombé and Batouri areas. To achieve this, a variety of sources was used, mainly written sources, both primary (reports, archives, etc.) and secondary (scientific articles, theses, dissertations, and books), oral sources, iconographic sources ; and, to some extent, digital sources. The diachronic and synchronic approach was used to guide the analyses. Overall, it appears that the action of the IECD somewhat improves the living conditions of some rural populations in the areas studied. The IECD contributes to reducing school drop-outs, to the employability of young rural people and to the increase in agricultural productivity. But the fact remains that this action alone will not suffice to eradicate poverty in the long or medium term in these two localities.