Sustainable Coffee Agroforestry Literature Review: NW Region, Cameroon.

Goodness and Mercy Missions (GMM) is a Cameroonian nonprofit organization founded in 2007 and based in the North West Region, holding Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 2017. GMM works to break cycles of poverty and vulnerability through education, women’s empowerment, community development, and humanitarian relief, with programmes spanning school sponsorship, computer training, library services, school construction, solar energy distribution, peace building, and emergency assistance to crisis-affected families. Through this assignment, GMM aims to strengthen the evidence base underpinning its community-based early childhood education (ECE) work in the Boyo Division and surrounding crisis-affected areas of the North West Region, in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education), with linkages to SDG 1, SDG 5, SDG 10, and SDG 16. The objective is to mobilize a team of academically motivated Online Volunteers to produce a structured comparative review of community-based ECE models implemented across Sub-Saharan Africa, identify viable design principles and delivery mechanisms suited to GMM’s operating context, and inform future programme design, partner engagement, and donor communications. Online Volunteers’ contributions will directly support GMM’s mission of delivering culturally appropriate, community-driven services to children and families affected by the ongoing Anglophone crisis..

The North West Region of Cameroon has a long tradition of smallholder agriculture, with coffee being a key cash crop that sustains rural livelihoods. However, decades of deforestation, soil degradation, climate variability, and the ongoing socio-political crisis have placed enormous pressure on these agricultural systems. Many farmers in the Boyo Division and surrounding areas lack access to updated agronomic knowledge, improved varieties, and sustainable cultivation practices that could help them adapt to changing environmental conditions while preserving biodiversity.This gap directly impedes progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). Understanding how agroforestry systems can integrate coffee production with environmental conservation is essential for building climate-resilient rural economies in the region. Goodness and Mercy Missions (GMM), as a community-rooted organization with extensive experience in rural community development and sustainability programs, recognizes that evidence-based agricultural strategies are foundational to improving livelihoods and environmental stewardship. Through online volunteer support, GMM seeks to compile and analyze existing academic, technical, and scientific literature on sustainable coffee agroforestry systems relevant to the highlands and transitional zones of western Cameroon. This foundational desk-based research will inform future field-based initiatives and community training programs, while contributing to biodiversity conservation and agricultural resilience. Online Volunteers’ contributions will help identify knowledge gaps, highlight best practices from comparable regions, and provide critical background for GMM’s upcoming agricultural empowerment projects.

Volunteer 1 – Overview of Coffee Cultivation in Cameroon Conduct a desk-based review of the history, current practices, and overall landscape of coffee cultivation in Cameroon, with particular attention to the North West and West Regions. Summarize findings to provide a national and regional context that frames the study of sustainable agroforestry in the highlands. Volunteer 2 – Biodiversity and Agroforestry Systems in Western Cameroon identify and analyze existing literature on agroforestry systems that integrate coffee with indigenous tree species in western Cameroon. Highlight any unique or promising practices and describe their characteristics based on available sources. Note research gaps and emphasize the importance of further investigation in the Boyo Division. Volunteer 3 – Geographic, Climatic, and Soil Conditions of the North West Region performance. Compile information on the North West Region’s geography, climate, altitude, and soil composition from published sources. Explain how these conditions may contribute to the suitability of specific coffee varieties and agroforestry models. Summarize connections between environmental factors and crop performance. Volunteer 4 – Comparative Analysis and Sustainability Recommendations Use information from comparable highland regions in Sub-Saharan Africa (e.g., Ethiopia, East African highlands, other Cameroonian provinces) to compare conditions and agroforestry approaches. Provide evidence-based recommendations and hypotheses about sustainable production models that could be adapted for the North West Region. Draft a synthesis section linking all volunteer contributions into a coherent literature review document.