Regenerative Agriculture: Certified Bananas Now Account For 73% Of National Exports

Rainforest Alliance has officially released its 2025 annual report, titled "La Régénération Prend Racine" (Regeneration Takes Root), showcasing a year of profound ecological and economic transformation across Cameroon. Driven by a strategic shift toward regenerative agriculture and community-led landscape governance, the international non-profit has solidified its footprint in the country’s most vital tropical ecosystems.

According to Santiago Gowland, CEO of Rainforest Alliance, 2025 marked the moment years of foundational work, partnerships, and system development truly began to bear fruit. Globally, the organization operates in 64 countries, protecting or restoring 11.9 million hectares of ecosystems. However, the 2025 report places a dedicated spotlight on Cameroon, where localized efforts have generated massive impacts in three key landscapes: Grand Mbam in the Centre Region, the Western Highlands in the West and North West Regions, and the Dja landscape in the South Region.

In Cameroon, certification has already achieved massive market penetration, particularly in vital export commodities. A staggering 73% of Cameroon's banana export volumes (approximately 160,000 tons per year) are now Rainforest Alliance-certified. While certified cocoa production now commands 42% of the national output. Between 2020 and 2025, Rainforest Alliance invested approximately $15.4 million USD (about 8.8 billion FCFA) across its three primary intervention landscapes in Cameroon, covering 1.1 million hectares and impacting over 120,000 people.

Grand Mbam: At the heart of Central Cameroon's cocoa belt, the organization is pioneering a model that aligns economic performance with strict European Union Deforestation Regulation, EUDR requirements. Backed by a $5.2 million USD (about 2.99 billion FCFA) investment, the programme has successfully geolocated over 95% of targeted farm plots. Securing international market access and traceability for 65,000 cocoa farmers across 25 partner cooperatives.

Western Highlands: Acting as Cameroon's "water tower," this region faced heavy land pressure and degraded watersheds. Rainforest Alliance deployed $4.6 million USD (approximately 2.65 billion FCFA) to establish two Landscape Management Committees and 9 Communal Commissions. The integrated approach successfully restored 7 vital water sources, generated over 114,000 plants, and rehabilitated 251.85 hectares of mountainous ecosystems.

Dja Landscape: Surrounding the Dja Biosphere Reserve in the South Region, a $5.6 million US...