Thanks to EM Technology,
organic farming can be done on large scale.
-David Sama Ngoh,
Director of EM Cameroon
David Sama Ngoh is the Director of EM
Cameroon and promoter of Organic input in Cameroon using effective micro
organisms in collaboration with EM Research Organisation in Japan. EM stands
for Effective Micro Organisms and was introduced into Cameroon in 2005
promoting organic agriculture both for Agricultural Production and Livestock
production. They have done quite a number of tests in Cameroon and the
programme has been homologated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development. David Sama Ngoh had a Bachelor Degree in History from the
University of Yaounde I and proceeded to Switzerland where he did a Post
Graduate Programme in International Project Management in 2007. From there he
moved to the UN Office in Geneva where he served for two and half years. When
he discovered EM Technology, he returned to Cameroon and has been implementing
it in the country for the past seven years. While in Cameroon, he went in for a
second Masters Degree in International Relations at the Yaounde University I
and is presently pursuing a Doctorate Degree in International Relations at the
same University. He was interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante and begins by
stating how he made that first contact with EM Technology.
What pushed you into
this line of activity?
In the year 2000 I was in Switzerland
and got to see that organically produced crops were fetching a lot of money
when compared to chemically produced crops. I got to know about the advantages
of organically produced crops but I doubted if it was possible to produce
organically on a large scale. When I was doing a Post Graduate Programme on
Managing International Projects I came in contact with EM Technologies which is
producing organically and on a large scale and that’s how I began EM Cameroon.
How do Cameroonians
benefit from this project?
Those who really benefit from this
project are the final beneficiaries. As a matter of fact EM Cameroon is
collaborating with the Government that is through the Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development MINADER who bought on a number of occasions in 2014, 2015
and 2016 a good consignment and distributed to farmers in Cameroon. Other
collaborators include GP-DERUDEP programme, a number of NGOs and CIGs and a
number of individuals who buy directly either from EM Cameroon or from some of
our distributors.
How can you make
those who need you get to you and how do you educate those who are yet to know
your relevance?
The Agricultural Sector in Cameroon
before and after Independence has been depending on chemical input but with the
advent of new technology some have come to know about EM Technology. We have
been holding seminars and Training Workshops at Regional and Divisional levels.
We have made quite a number of publications of Seminar Reports which we have
made available to both the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development and
that of Livestock and Fisheries. We have been doing quite a lot but it is true
the media coverage has not been quite enough. We are in a domain without a lot
of financial influence with the need to get introduced to quite a number of
people on the advantages of organically produced crops. The elite in our
society already know about it and the less privileged ones down there seem to
be doing it simply because they don’t have the means to go chemical.
What kind of products
are farmers expected to get from you?
We deal with Agricultural and Livestock
Production. We have EM Compost which is the solid version made up of animal
waste and a combination of micro organisms to boost the soil. We have the
Foliar Fertilizer for all green crops. We have EM 5 which is for Pests and
Disease Control. A combination of EM Compost, Foliar Fertilizer and EM 5
gives you a holistic solution for your agricultural needs. We also have EM for
livestock which is given to animals to drink and it in turn builds the immune
system. We equally have EM Bokashi which is a feed additive which we integrate
into the animal feed and into EM 5 which is for Pests and Disease control.
All of these will boost the immune system of the animals and mortality will be
drastically dropped. You will discover that there is no odor and that the
animal will grow in weight and size.
What is the quality
of the vegetable that is grown using your products?
EM products have no negative effects on
the human being, and the environment. With our products, you can spray the
vegetable today, harvest it in the evening and even take it and consume without
any negative effects like running stomachs that you experience with chemical
products. This is because EM products or EM Technology is based on natural
organisms. When you look at the life span of vegetables produced using EM
Technology, you notice that they have a lifespan of about nine days unlike
vegetable from chemical products which have a lifespan of about 5 days. Another
aspect is the quality and taste of the product. That is why products from
organic material are more expensive in the market. EM Products are not
genetically modified and the elite in society know the value of products from
organic material. Farmers know the advantages but can produce only on a small
scale. Now however they can produce on a large scale if they use EM Products.
Organically produced crops are not only meant for small scale subsistence
farming. Thanks to EM Technology, organic farming can be done on large
scale.
Do you have any
message to aspiring Cameroonian Entrepreneurs?
Young Cameroonians have the impression
that the best can only be achieved out of the country but it’s not true.
Cameroon being a country in which a majority of people are found in the
agricultural domain and endowed with very fertile soils has all the growth
potential for any aspiring entrepreneur in the Agricultural Sector. I will like
to inform the youths that Agriculture is the brain of this country. We can give
counseling to any youth who wants to get into Agriculture or livestock
breeding. Young Cameroonians should not only think of doing white collar jobs.
When it is well done and well organised agriculture is the same like any white
collar job.
See more at www.emcameroon.com
Les Gens Du Cameroun/ Email: francoeko@gmail.com/edevnewspaper@gmail.com/ Tel:+237696896001/+237678401408/ +237669542467
