A post on the Greenpeace blog asks what alternatives are there to the exploitation of Africa’s natural resources under the guise of development.

Irene Wabiwa writes about how at a workshop in Kumba, Southwest Cameroon, the NGO, Association Citoyenne pour la Defense des Interêts Collectifs (ACDID), has proposed the growing of cacao or palm oil in agroforestry systems which can provide a range of non-timber forest products as well as food.

Under these systems, cacao is grown in the shade of trees which give farmers fruit and vegetables while maintaining the forest canopy. This ensures food security yet at the same time protects the natural environment.

The majority of people in the region farm cacao, palm oil and other crops, and they hunt and collect non-timber forest products such as nuts and bush mangos.

International corporations are “moving into the region and taking control of vast tracts of land for logging, mining and agro-industrial plantations,” says the article. Local residents are concerned that if they just grow cash crops there will be nothing left to eat.

The workshop has focused on increasing the productivity of local agriculture while ensuring livelihoods and protecting the forests upon which the people depend.

Read the full story: Why development does not have to be destruction in Cameroon