The Interactions of Human Mobility and Farming Systems on Biodiversity and Soil Quality in the Western Highlands of Cameroon

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Tables and Figures 15 1 General Introduction 13 1.1 Introduction 13 1.2 Objectives 17 1.3 Conceptualframework 17 1.4 Theoretical framework 19 1.5 Structure of thesis 22 1.6 The study site 24 References 25 2 Determinants and Impacts of Human Mobility Dynamics in the Western Highlands of Cameroon 33 Abstract 34 2.1 Introduction 34 2.1.1 Some Terminologies 37 2.1.2 Conceptual framework 38 2.2 Materials and Methods 40 2.2.1 Study area 40 2.2.2 Data Collection 42 2.2.3 Data Analysis 42 2.3 Results 43 2.3.1 General characteristics of the study area. 43 2.3.2 Migration 44 2.3.3 Rural-to-urban migration 44 2.3.4 Circular movements (Commuting) 47 2.3.5 Mobility effects 49 2.3.6 Urban-to-rural migration 50 2.4 Discussion 51 2.5 Conclusion 56 Acknowledgements 57 References 57 3 Sustainability and Other Determinants of Smallholder Farming Systems in the Western Highlands of Cameroon 63 Abstract 64 3.1 Introduction 64 3.2 Materials and methods 68 3.2.1 Framework for assessing agricultural sustainability 68 3.2.2 Sustainability score 71 3.2.3 Study area, data collection and analyses methods 74 3.3 Results 76 3.3.1 Relationship between agricultural production variables and different villages of the WHC 76 3.3.2 Determinants used for the factor analysis. 78 3.3.3 Relative importance of the factors influencing the sustainability of the farming system 80 3.3.4 Main constraints influencing agricultural production in the study area 81 3.4 Discussions 81 3.4.1 Relationship between agricultural production variables and the different villages. 81 3.4.2 Determinants associated with the farming systems of the WHC 84 3.4.3 Influence of the determinants on sustainability 84 3.4.4 Main constraints that influence agricultural production of the area 86 3.5 Conclusion 87 Acknowledgements 88 References 88 4 Variation of Biodiversity in Sacred Groves and Fallows in the Western Highlands of Cameroon 97 Abstract 98 4.1 Introduction 98 4.2 Materials and methods 101 4.2.1 Study Area 101 4.2.2 Data Collection 102 4.2.3 Analytical methods 105 4.3 Results 106 4.3.1 Shared Species 107 4.3.2 Unique Species 109 4.3.3 Species richness and diversity in different systems 115 4.3.4 Variation within ecosystems. 116 4.3.5 Variation of soil chemical and physical properties with altitude 117 4.3.6 Influence of environmental factors on biodiversity indices. 118 4.3.7 Assessment of altitudinal variability of trees 118 4.4 Discussion 119 4.4.1 Effect of altitude on biodiversity 120 4.4.2 Variation and influence of abiotic factors 120 4.5 Conclusion 122 Acknowledgements 123 References 123 5 Soil Quality Assessment of Cropping Sysytemsin the Western Highlands of Cameroon 129 Abstract 129 5.1 Introduction 130 5.2 Materials and Methods 132 5.2.1 Model description 133 5.3 Results 138 5.3.1 Description of the cropping system of sampled farmers based on interviews: 138 5.3.2 Nutrient balance at crop activity (PPU) level: 139 5.3.3 Nutrient balance for the research area: 142 5.3.4 Household economics and farm characteristics 143 5.4 Discussions 144 5.5 Conclusion and recommendations 145 Acknowledgements 146 References 147 6 General Discussion and Synthesis 151 6.1 What are the driving forces, contributions and categories of human mobility in the study area? 152 6.2 What are the levels of sustainability and the relationship between sustainability and the different factors affecting farming systems in this zone? 154 6.3 What are the different types of biodiversity of agro-ecosystems in the WHC and how are they influenced by abiotic factors? 156 6.4 What is the impact of the modification of the farming system on soil quality at the crop and farm levels of the study area? 157 6.5 Conclusion and recommendations 158 References 163 Summary 167 Samenvatting 171 Résumé 175 Acknowledgements 179 Curriculum Vitae 181 ...