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Pesticide use in agriculture, public health,
and animal husbandry in Cameroon
F.D. Mbiapo and G. Youovop
Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon
A pilot study was conducted in the western, central, and southern regions
of Cameroon, West Africa, to define the problem posed by the use of
pesticides. Cameroon imports organochloride, organophosphate, carbamate,
and pyrethroid insecticides. Although imports amounted to 60000 t
in 1987, they were reduced by half in 1988 and 1989. Legislation reflects
the standards recognized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme. Pesticides
are used mainly on cash crops, such as coffee and cocoa. However,
food and vegetable producers commonly obtain pesticides on their own
initiative. The main pesticides used in Cameroon are insecticides and
fungicides. Producers rarely respect the recommended last date of application
before the harvest and users generally are not adequately protected
when spraying.
Pesticides are substances or mixtures of substances intended to repel, destroy,
or combat pests that ravage plants or act as vectors for human and animal
diseases. However, their use is not without danger to plants, animals, humans,
and even the abiotic environment.
The aim of this study was to examine the conditions under which pesticides
are used in Cameroon, including:
The quantities and types of pesticides imported and the country's
legislation governing use;
' The ways in which pesticides are distributed and circulated within
Cameroon: agricultural, pastoral, and public uses; timing and duration
of treatments; interval between the last application and harvest; dosage
applied; methods of application; and how empty pesticide containers
are handled.
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