Chapter 10
Forest–Agriculture in the Centre–South
Region of Cameroon: How Does Traditional
Knowledge Inform-Integrated Management
Approaches?
William Armand Mala, Coert J. Geldenhuys, Ravi Prabhu,
and François Manga Essouma
10.1 Introduction
The discourse over forest agriculture sustainability in the tropics has been dominated
by conventional thinking and western science, during most of the past century (GEF
1993; ASB 1995, 2000; Garrity and Bandy 1996; Van Noordwijk et al. 2001; Palm
et al. 2005; COMIFAC 2014). On one hand, it has been defined by ecological
thinking based on the theory of equilibrium, and on the other hand by discourses
about the effects of forest agriculture on deforestation and biodiversity loss (Toledo
et al. 2003; Instone 2003b; Mala et al. 2019; Diaw et al. 2016). However, this
‘conventional’ thinking has been challenged by new theories that recognize the high
degree of uncertainty governing (a) tropical ecosystem functioning (Scoones 1995;
Geldenhuys 2000; Holling 2001; Wallington et al. 2005; Mayaux et al. 2013), (b) the
human dimensions of tropical forest social–ecological systems (Diaw and Oyono
1998; Oyono 2002; Mala and Oyono 2004; Apusiga 2011) and (c) the linkages
between forest resources and agriculture to establish forest–agriculture mosaics
(Vosti 1995; Colfer and Byron 2001; Levang et al. 2001; O’brien 2002; Angelsen
and Wunder 2003; Armitage 2003; McNeel 2004; Vernooy and Song 2004; Ash
et al. 2010; Beddington et al. 2012; Van Vliet et al. 2012) (see also Chap. 9, Vol. 1).
W. A. Mala (*) · F. Manga Essouma
University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
C. J. Geldenhuys
University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa
e-mail: cgelden@mweb.co.za
R. Prabhu
World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
e-mail: r.prabhu@cgiar.org
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
A. Gasparatos et al. (eds.), Sustainability Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa I,
Science for Sustainable Societies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4458-3_10
317
Forest–Agriculture in the Centre–South
Region of Cameroon: How Does Traditional
Knowledge Inform-Integrated Management
Approaches?
William Armand Mala, Coert J. Geldenhuys, Ravi Prabhu,
and François Manga Essouma
10.1 Introduction
The discourse over forest agriculture sustainability in the tropics has been dominated
by conventional thinking and western science, during most of the past century (GEF
1993; ASB 1995, 2000; Garrity and Bandy 1996; Van Noordwijk et al. 2001; Palm
et al. 2005; COMIFAC 2014). On one hand, it has been defined by ecological
thinking based on the theory of equilibrium, and on the other hand by discourses
about the effects of forest agriculture on deforestation and biodiversity loss (Toledo
et al. 2003; Instone 2003b; Mala et al. 2019; Diaw et al. 2016). However, this
‘conventional’ thinking has been challenged by new theories that recognize the high
degree of uncertainty governing (a) tropical ecosystem functioning (Scoones 1995;
Geldenhuys 2000; Holling 2001; Wallington et al. 2005; Mayaux et al. 2013), (b) the
human dimensions of tropical forest social–ecological systems (Diaw and Oyono
1998; Oyono 2002; Mala and Oyono 2004; Apusiga 2011) and (c) the linkages
between forest resources and agriculture to establish forest–agriculture mosaics
(Vosti 1995; Colfer and Byron 2001; Levang et al. 2001; O’brien 2002; Angelsen
and Wunder 2003; Armitage 2003; McNeel 2004; Vernooy and Song 2004; Ash
et al. 2010; Beddington et al. 2012; Van Vliet et al. 2012) (see also Chap. 9, Vol. 1).
W. A. Mala (*) · F. Manga Essouma
University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
C. J. Geldenhuys
University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa
e-mail: cgelden@mweb.co.za
R. Prabhu
World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
e-mail: r.prabhu@cgiar.org
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
A. Gasparatos et al. (eds.), Sustainability Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa I,
Science for Sustainable Societies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4458-3_10
317