Restoring Degraded Lands in Maroua I Municipality, Cameroon: Application of Veazcomutech Techniques

Abstract

This study was carried out in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Cameroon. It aims to contribute to the restoration of degraded land in the localities of Maroua I; to set up a sustainable soil restoration technique based on Vetiveria zizanioide- Azadirachta indica-eggshell and Musa paradisiaca peel; to evaluate the restoration of this land through the crop set up and to assess the state of the art of the "VEACOMUTECH" technique on an area of 103.5 m2. The method envisaged in this research is based on the new modern technique "VEAZCOMUTECH): Technique of V. zizanioide, A. indica, Musa paradisiaca and eggshell" with a view to restoring the fertility of the land and diversifying the population's sources of income by using this technique. The study was carried out in the Maroua I municipality on experimental plots at the Technical School of Agriculture. A control plot and a main plot treated with VEAZCOMUTECH were selected. The most vigorous species were chosen to measure growth and yield parameters over a three-week period. The results of this study show that the application of "VEAZCOMUTECH" on the site increases plant growth. In the first week, leaf length ranged from six (06) to fifteen (15) centimetres on average in the control plot. In the main plot where "VEAZCOMUTECH" was applied, leaf length ranged from ten (10) to thirty-two (32) centimetres during the same week. By the third week, leaf length had increased from 15 to 20 centimetres, while in the main plot, leaf length had increased from 32 to 80 centimetres. There was also a clear difference in the number of leaves at week three, with 20 and 87 leaves for the control and main plots respectively. The largest number of flower buds (23 flower buds) was observed on the plant in the main plot, compared with 2 flower buds in the control plot. These results could serve as a reference for the strategy of restoration and fertilization of degraded land in the Far North Region in particular and in the Sudano-Sahelian zone in general.