Peri-Urban Populations’ Dynamics and Territorialisation of Responsive Actions against Food Insecurity in Cameroon

Miléva Duchel Zapfack Dongmo, PAN AFRICAN UNIVERSITY, Institute of Governance, Human and Social Sciences - YAOUNDE, CAMEROON

The increasing number of urban households affected by food insecurity has prompted Cameroon’s governance scheme to engage in a gradual process of diversifying and decentralizing sectorial strategies from the centre to the periphery. The current security and socio-political crisis that the country faces has led to an urban substantial congestion. The influx of urban refugees and internally displaced populations have massively occupied peri-urban areas, previously dominated by local actors implementing strategies to resorb food insecurity. This paper attempts to depict the structures, arrangements and population dynamics that come play amid this new trend. It seeks to explore its variety and social implications, how it influences interactions between population groups. Field observation and structured interviews make up the study’s methodological framework. Preliminary research findings show that responsive actions result in positive and negative effects on inter-territorial relationships, ranging from collective action and networking to competition, social tensions and cultural resentment.