Community Greenhouse Project Offers Sustainable Income for Fishers in Limbe

Three community greenhouses have been successfully installed within the premises of the African Marine Conservation Organisation (AMCO) in the coastal town of Limbe, Southwest Region, Cameroon. This is a 12-month project that commenced in August 2025 and is scheduled to end in July 2026.

The initiative seeks to strengthen the socio-economic and environmental resilience of fishing communities in Batoke by training fishers and local residents to develop a sustainable agricultural greenhouse. This alternative livelihood will help reduce pressure on marine ecosystems.

The first batch of beneficiaries includes three fishers and two fish vendors from Batoke and Downbeach, both communities in Limbe. They have been selected for the pilot phase based on their prior engagement in AMCO’s conservation activities and their use of the Siren application to report strandings and bycatch of endangered species.

Two beneficiaries of the project participating in the cleaning of the greenhouses.

Talieh Rochester, a 26-year-old fisherman from the Batoke community, is one of the beneficiaries. “This is an opportunity for me to diversify my skills and make a difference in my community,” he said.

The beneficiaries will receive intensive training in bell pepper production, crop rotation, organic pest management, and humidity and temperature control.

Two 2,000-litre tanks have been installed to ensure a constant water supply for all three greenhouses.

Twenty-four-year-old Abla Synthia, a fish vendor from Downbeach, described the project as a life-changing opportunity for her household. “As a fish vendor, this will help me learn more about bell pepper production and increase my chances of earning a stable, long-term income,” she explained.

At the end of the pilot phase, 20 additional beneficiaries will be integrated into the project and will also receive hands-on training in bell pepper production. The project is expected to indirectly benefit at least 1,000 people in the bell pepper supply chain.

“Coastal communities in Limbe rely heavily on fishing for income,” explained Cyndi Karel, AMCO’s Alternative Livelihood Manager. “This high dependence often leads to unsustainable practices, including overfishing and the poaching of endangered species.” She added, “We realised that sensitisation alone is not enough. The most effective approach is to provide training and support for alternative income-generating activities that can offer earnings comparable to fishing, thereby reducing pressure on marine resources.”

By diversifying household income, AMCO anticipates at least a 30% reduction in fishing activity, which will help curb accidental bycatch of endangered species such as dolphins and sea turtles. Participating fishers will keep fishing logbooks to track changes in their time at sea, providing valuable data to assess the project’s ecological impact.

“As a fisher, I am proud to be a beneficiary who will help reduce accidental bycatch of endangered species,” said Nde Nchang, a fisherman from Downbeach.

Overfishing, industrial trawling, pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change have severely depleted fish stocks, threatening both livelihoods and marine biodiversity. The Community Greenhouse Project is designed to strengthen climate resilience, improve food security, and reduce pressure on aquatic ecosystems.

With technical support from the French Embassy, AGRO Ventures, and traditional leaders from Batoke and Bakingili, three modern agricultural greenhouses were constructed on a 500 m² site in Limbe. The project will establish systems for managing community revenue, with a portion allocated to infrastructure maintenance and future agricultural inputs.

The greenhouses were built by experts from AGRO Ventures.

Beneficiaries will gradually transition from guided supervision to independent greenhouse management, with opportunities to scale up through cooperatives and replicate the model in other coastal towns in Cameroon, such as Kribi and Dizangue.