With its 1.8 million inhabitants, the North West Region is one of the most densely populated regions in Cameroon. 70 per cent of the population is involved in agriculture.  The principal commercial crops are cacao, coffee and palm oil. Livestock farming is predominant. Subsistence crops include sweet potatoes, corn and beans. The area was once covered by forest and mixed vegetation providing habitat for a wide variety of plants and wildlife. Since then, massive deforestation has occurred due to the high demand for farmlands, construction and fuel wood. Various environmental problems persist, among them pollution resulting from dumping of domestic waste and rampant use of chemical fertilizers. Those have led to a loss of biodiversity, unstable landscapes, soil erosion, poor soil fertility and as a consequence low agricultural productivity.

Community Agriculture & Environmental Protection Association (CAEPA) reaches out to the rural poor by disseminating information and promoting education to acquire sustainable solutions in health, agriculture and the environment. CAEPAs various objectives range from enhancing crop and livestock production to introducing environmentally friendly practices into the communities.

Interns will contribute to the fight against environmental destruction and to mitigating the effects of climate change through the creation of school and community environmental clubs. They will create an awareness of urgent environmental issues and empower people to participate. Interns will travel to different schools and areas with persisting environmental problems, conduct surveys and analyze the findings. Another task will be teaching farmers and community groups about integrating agroforestry tree species into their farming systems.

Interns are required to have studied Environmental Science and be able to identify environmental degradational practices. One intern should have knowledge in agroforestry and know-how in improving agricultural yields. Skills in methods of empirical social / environmental research, work experience with rural communities and knowledge of medicinal plants are also important assets.

The scheduled time for the internship is August to October 2012.Training and preparation seminars prior to the internship will be held in English. The tandem will be formed by a French participant and a German/Swiss participant.