Accounting for around a third of the1996 Goss Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 9 billion (secondonly to oil), and almost three-fourths of all employment,agriculture is a dominant sector of the Cameroonian economy.Also, as in most African countries, poverty in Cameroon isconcentrated in rural areas, with more than 80 percent(approximately 5.5 million) of all poor people living insuch areas. The Government of Cameroon's objectivesinclude the need to create a sectoral environment favorableto reviving agricultural production; ensure food security;increase farm incomes by improving productivity and reducingthe costs of production; and render agricultural productscompetitive in domestic and international markets. It iscommitted to progressively liberalizing the marketing'sof inputs and traditional export commodities, andprivatizing agricultural development activities.Consequently, inasmuch as poverty reduction and economicgrowth are at the core of the World Bank's CountryAssistance Strategy (CAS) for Cameroon, they necessitate astrategic focus on the agricultural and rural sectors.
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