In the remote village of Kartoua, located in Cameroon’s Far North region, women are transforming food insecurity into community resilience through a locally led cereal bank. The initiative, driven by the Soubota Common Initiative Group (GIC), has empowered women to turn seasonal vulnerability into a sustainable strategy for survival and solidarity.
The village, part of the Mayo-Danay division, faces frequent seasonal floods and chronic food shortages, making access to staple grains like millet and rice a constant challenge. Recognizing this need, twelve women joined forces to establish a cereal bank that purchases grains at low prices after harvest, stores them, and resells them during lean periods at affordable rates. This initiative has not only improved food access but also strengthened the community’s trust in women-led solutions.
Ahmadou Sergeline, a mother of nine and president of the Soubota cereal bank, described the initial skepticism they faced, particularly from men in the village. Over time, however, as the cereal bank proved its value during periods of scarcity, support from the wider community, including Sergeline’s own husband, grew.
The cereal bank proved especially vital during floods when millet became scarce. Thanks to a timely contribution of 20 bags of millet from the Cameroon Red Cross, coupled with training in stock management and basic accounting, the women were able to ensure families could access enough food to feed their children. The initiative has introduced proper record-keeping, allowing the group to track inventory, manage community deposits, and sustainably operate the cereal bank, demonstrating a scalable model for food security and women’s empowerment in vulnerable regions.
