Background and current situation Land is a factor of production and a source of wealth for many rural households. Southern Cameroon has favourable soil and climate conditions for farming. The modernisation of agriculture and the expansion of land-consuming agro-industrial farms have led to increased competition for land with family farms, which generally occupy only small areas. This has raised questions about the resilience of family farms and the risks of increased poverty in rural areas and food insecurity in Southern Cameroon, including in the large towns supplied by family farming. Aim and objectives The aim here is to analyse the issues associated with land predation and the resilience of family farming in southern Cameroon. Methodology To achieve this, the study was based on documentary sources, questionnaire surveys of 150 smallholders, and interviews with a number of large-scale farming stakeholders using the Accelerated Participatory Research Method. The pressure-state-response analysis model was used to understand the nature and level of pressure exerted on family farms, the current state of these farms and the institutional and endogenous responses. Results The results show that Chinese companies, agribusinesses and the local elite are the main land predators, practising large-scale agriculture to the detriment of peasant farming. These actors sometimes take land by force or obtain concessions from the public authorities, preventing village populations from fully enjoying their land rights. The result is a loss of agricultural land belonging to small family farmers, their impoverishment as a result of being dispossessed of their means of subsistence, undernourishment and famine in rural households, and inflation of foodstuffs in the markets of major urban centres as a result of the shortage of supply and the increase in demand linked to population growth. The decline in food self-sufficiency is likely to fuel food insecurity. This situation often leads to clashes that degenerate into land disputes between small farmers and other stakeholders, and result in the cancellation of certain concessions granted by the state. This is why it is so important to put in place an inclusive land policy and governance system capable of contributing to sustainable development.