Convergence in Cameroon: a pathway for investments in food system sustainability?
Cameroon centres its national Convergence Action Blueprint on three areas. EU-funded SASi-SPi has assessed whether these ambitions lead to a sustainable transformation of food systems.
The Convergence Initiative was launched in 2023 at COP28. It aims to align food system transformation with climate action to accelerate sustainable development.
Potential areas for transformation
Cameroon is an emerging leader of the Convergence Initiative for food security and climate mitigation. The country is among the most advanced African countries in this regard, with a national Convergence Plan centred on three areas:
- the rice sector,
- agroecology,
- import substitution.
To support the Cameroon Convergence agenda, SASi-SPi assessed the sustainability of these three strategic options.
Because deforestation is a major source of emissions in Cameroon, largely driven by staple food production, intensifying the rice sector - particularly through climate-smart water management – could reduce pressure on forests and support mitigation.
Under certain conditions, rice intensification can also support adaptation to climate change. However, increasing productivity in other staple crops such as maize, cassava, and plantain could deliver similar climate benefits.
Agroecology also provides benefits for both adaptation and mitigation. There are no technical trade-offs (agroecology is productive, sustainable, socially and environmentally sound, etc.). The main challenge lies in designing and financing the economic incentives to compensate for the extra work it may require.
Multisectoral governance is key
The climate and food security impacts of import substitution are less clear, unless it is driven by investments in productivity and market connectivity rather than protectionist measures alone.
Across all three options, scaling up will depend on effective multisectoral governance - particularly in environment and agriculture, but also in transport, trade, and forestry – as well as sustainable infrastructure and improved market access.
For more information, contact Workstream 1 Team Leader Tristan le Cotty at Cirad, tristan.le_cotty@cirad.fr
The following events will take place during the spring of 2026.
World trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon
Cameroon-EU Business Week under the Global Gateway framework