Crop Production Technology

The Department's mission is twofold: to teach students the science underlying crop productivity and soil fertility, and to train them to translate that science into the art (the practices) of crop production and soil fertility maintenance.

The primary aim of crop production is to ensure a sustainable, ample supply of plant material for optimum food and biomass security in Cameroon. This involves training students in crop species identification, crop propagation techniques, the establishment of efficient and profitable cropping systems, and the improvement and introduction of new crop cultivars for a sustainable and highly diversified food and biomass economy. Since crops inevitably depend on soil for growth and development, the Department also emphasises the maintenance and improvement of soil fertility as the basis for sustainable crop production. In addition, students are trained to carry out quantitative and qualitative yield analysis to ensure quality assurance for the diverse end users of their products.

The Department's key objective is to train grounded intellectuals who are curious, methodical, rational, analytical, and logical in all matters concerning plants, soils, and the interactions between them that determine crop growth and development. Through this training, students learn to select and breed high-yielding crops and adapt them to Cameroon's diverse agro-ecologies, to the impacts of climate change, to large-scale production techniques, and to the demands of modern transformation technologies. Through such training and outreach, the Department is well placed to help crop farmers optimise yields and profits in crop farming enterprises as well as in mixed farming ventures.

With a team of both locally and foreign trained lecturers, ranging from soil scientists, agronomists, and biostatisticians to plant physiologists, plant breeders, farm technicians, and agribusiness experts, the Department of Crop Production is well equipped to deliver training in line with its mission and vision.

The Department of Crop Production Technology offers students the opportunity to earn the Bachelor of Science degree at undergraduate level, and the Master of Agronomy and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees at postgraduate level.