Urban Market Gardeners’ Resilience Mechanisms Against Impacts of Rainfall and Temperature Variability on Urban Food Security Activity of Market Gardening within the Bamenda Urban Area

Rainfall and temperature are prime natural factors of agricultural productivity and the current their significant variability, is not only a major contemporary challenge rain fed peasant farming and food production, but jeopardizes agricultural livelihoods globally. This study focuseds urban farmers’ coping mechanisms to on the impacts of rainfall and temperature variability on major urban food security crops of solanum potatoes, tomatoes, and leafy vegetables in the Bamenda urban area, Employing a mixed research design, this study integrated qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques to comprehensively examine the effects of rainfall and temperature variability on these crops and farmers’ adaptation strategies. Primary data, obtained through interviews and field observations, were complemented by secondary data encompassing climatic records and crop outputs. These data analysed with statistical techniques as the coefficient of variation, correlation, and regression line for trends, relationships, and impacts of rainfall and temperature variability. P-values results indicate significant changes in rainfall (0.001) and temperature (0.04), and outputs of main food crops as solanum potatoes (0.01) and tomatoes (0.04), while vegetables (0.63) and cabbages (0.62) record minimal variations. Rainfall positively correlated with tomatoes (0.001) and irish potatoes (0.01). Inferential statistical tests affirmed these results, of significant negative impacts (p-value < 0.05) on crop output in the Bamenda Urban Area hence urban food security. Urban farmers have built resilience through farm level (using improved seedlings, agrochemicals and irrigation) and off farm (activities diversification, farmers’ groups, climate forecasting and farm abandonment) adaptation mechanisms but which are fraught with challenges as transportation difficulties, price fluctuation, Socio-political crisis, limited irrigation infrastructure and storage facilities and lack of awareness. Government intervention to provide climate-resistant seeds and educational initiatives for to reinforce farmers’ climate change adaptive capacities in line with SDG 13 is recommended to strengthen the indigenous coping mechanisms.