COVID-19 and ‘bouncing forward’ strategies for Cameroon’s Food Sector

 *This is part of our series on the nexus between COVID-19 and food systems.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, exposing the vulnerable nature of different businesses. However, how we learn, adapt or transform our ‘usual’ operations and management regimes are critical for a resilient and sustainable recovery. The Republic of Cameroon is a Central African nation with a current population of about 26 million people and a projected GDP of US$ 44.4 billion in 2025. More than 60% of Cameroonians are employed and engaged in the primary and secondary sectors of the economy, dominated by agricultural activities, petit traders, and also processing and manufacturing of "light consumer goods and textiles." These sectors play an essential role in their contribution to GDP, employment, and livelihoods for Cameroonians. Small businesses like restaurants and open-air food vendors are an integral part of Cameroon’s economy. They sell different food such as ‘puff puff’ and beans, roasted fish, roasted beef (suya), roasted pork, shawarma, cowpea (koki), cornflour and vegetables (kati-kati), and eru (Gnetum africanum), to name a few. However, with the emergence of COVID-19, many of these restaurants closed down, affecting the food supply chain and a significant 70% drop in food prices since suppliers had no other market options. Thus, developing strategies that build resilience and adaptive capacity for those engaged in the food sector to existing stresses and future shocks is quintessential. 

 

How the food sector operates in Cameroon

 

Like many other middle-and-low income countries, Cameroon’s food sector is underdeveloped in terms of physical and cyber infrastructures, digitalization and the lack of financial sources for small business incubation and entrepreneurship. Aside from the few fancy and expensive restaurants (those selling food for at least US $2) in large cities, most cooked food is sold along roadsides and at open-air markets. Smallholder farmers sell their livestock, poultry and fruit and vegetables directly to food sellers and individuals or, at times, using the services of  wholesale buyers who transport the produce to other cities. With such a simple and linear food supply chain, any disruption affects everyone involved, from producer to consumer. For example, a forthcoming study led by the author shows that there is a wide gap in the supply and demand for fish in Cameroon and an increase in fish price due to the pandemic. The principal challenge for food sellers and those engaged in the food chain is poor delivery and food supply services and the reliance on face-to-face financial and physical transactions. Such a system is vulnerable to systemic shocks like COVID-19, where health protocols like lockdowns are recommended. Thus, there is a need for innovation and the development of strategies that are resilient and robust to these kinds of disruptions.

  

 

An open-air shawarma spot in Buea, Cameroon

The Bouncing Forward Ideology

Embedded in resilience, the bouncing forward concept is important in how we design response strategies to emerging shocks while thinking about the future in different scenarios, including COVID-19. Bouncing forward involves the different ways we evaluate our current adaptive capacity to make amendments and better prepare for future shocks. Learning and developing our capabilities, capacity and evolving are key aspects influencing agency and varying response decisions. With governments and society responding to the systemic shocks of COVID-19, there is a need for deliberate changes and innovation to many aspects of society, especially those that directly affect or address societal problems through social innovation. However, common rhetoric in society is the idea of 'bouncing back,' i.e., maintaining the same status quo and response strategies that seek to enhance pre-existing management regimes. With instabilities in the global economy, adapting to the same mode of operations will increase vulnerability to businesses and a direct impact on employment and sustainable livelihoods. Therefore, there is a need and emphasis on 'bouncing forward abilities' that can ensure better resilience, robustness, and society's sustainability.

 

 

Innovation and Way Forward

 

The high levels of postharvest food losses in Africa and Cameroon, in particular, could be attributed to poor food delivery systems and networks, especially for fresh produce. With disruptions from COVID-19 health measures to the supply chain, lockdowns, and restaurant closures, there are no efficient systems in which producers can supply their products directly to consumers. Creating a system that facilitates the supply of food to consumers' doorsteps can solve some of these problems. For example, while fishers could supply fish directly to customers through different online platforms in North America, such systems are absent in Cameroon. In this modern era, online food delivery services such as Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes, or coordinated direct delivery of food by restaurants to an individual’s home are becoming essential in the food business. There is a need for innovations and investments in online and physical resources to facilitate communications between suppliers, food sellers and consumers. Nevertheless, the idea of online food order and delivery is beginning to grow in Cameroon, with some restaurants providing options for takeaway or home delivery.

 

One example of how capacity can be built to support bounce-forward transformations in Cameroonian food systems is online food delivery services, which rely on good internet connectivity and an organized home address system for timely and efficient food delivery. Such a delivery system also involves developing a culture of food ordering which is currently lacking in Cameroon. Despite these challenges, few steps can be taken to ensure a coordinated food supply chain. With increasing access to mobile phones and internet services, participants within a particular food supply chain can exchange phone numbers and home addresses. Here, through arranged transport means, producers can coordinate the supply of their products to homes and restaurants without any physical contact. This will also involve changes in the financial transaction through the use of services like mobile money, which is becoming a  popular money transfer and banking service in Cameroon. 

 

In conclusion, instituting bouncing forward strategies helps build resilience for vulnerable food systems. For Cameroon’s food sector, bounce-forward transformation such as investments in food delivery services through a coordinated communication and money transfer system between producers, food sellers and consumers are important strategies for recovery and preparedness for future shocks. The digitalization of the food supply chain will need developing various networks, collaboration, and exchange of information between participants, and the availability of financial support for such transformation. Digital innovation for Cameroon's food sector is critical for its sustainability and adaptive capacity.

 

 

Richard Nyiawung

PhD Candidate

Geography, Environment & Geomatics

University of Guelph