TITLE:
Barriers to Climate Smart Agriculture Adoption in Cameroon: The Role of the Media in Promoting the Technology
AUTHORS:
Langmia Eric Wuffor, Victor Ngu Cheo, Mbanga Lawrence Akei
KEYWORDS:
Media, Agenda Setting, Climate Smart Agriculture, Cameroon, TAGDev 2.0 Programme, RUFORUM
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Journalism and Communication,
Vol.14 No.3,
August
13,
2026
ABSTRACT: Agriculture is passing through a generational challenge in the 21st century as a result of climate variability. More and more, there is a need for farmers to adapt to new ways of farming with the overall objective of producing food that will be able to sustain the ever-increasing population growth. This study sought to evaluate the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in adopting Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA)—an adaptation method that is out to fight the negative effects of climate change on agriculture. It employed qualitative data with the use of 26 sessions of Focus Group Discussions with 400 farmers in Bachua and Matazem, two areas in the North West and West Regions of Cameroon that are heavily involved in the horticulture value chain. Findings from the study indicate that inadequate access to knowledge and information, limited access to land, lack of funding, and no training on Climate Smart Agriculture are impediments to the smallholder farmers’ ability to adopt Climate Smart Agriculture. The study recommends that, since one of the principal findings of the study was inadequate access to knowledge and information, the media, based on its agenda-setting role, should be put to use in order to be able to convey messages on the importance of adopting Climate Smart Agriculture. This will accelerate the narrative on CSA, thereby implicitly leading to a quicker adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture by many smallholder farmers. The media (community radio stations) could frame messages on the importance of CSA, tackling the effects of climate change on agriculture. This will motivate other farmers to emulate, thereby leading to a rapid uptake of the technology. Government agencies and development partners like the TAGDev 2.0 Programme at The University of Bamenda, implemented in partnership with the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), should be able to accompany the smallholders in setting up experimental farms that will train and implement the techniques of CSA in the farmers, consequently leading to a rapid adoption rate of the technique.