Abstract

Agricultural policy changes in Cameroon had weakened technical and managerial capacities in rubber smallholdings. This study assessed the training needs of rubber farmers in the South-West region of Cameroon. A structured questionnaire was administrated to fifty respondents in Bombe-Bakundu and Mundame, two representative rubber-producing localities. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of rubber farmers had high training needs on production of planting materials (100%), tapping techniques (100%), accurate preparation of stimulant and its application (88%) and improved agricultural techniques (82%). The results showed a negative but significant relationship between the age, the level of education and socio-economic status with training needs expressed by the farmers. Relational analysis also revealed that membership to a rubber farmers' organization was found positive and significantly correlated with training needs.

Key words: Assessment, training needs, Cameroon, rubber farming.