Wildfire is experienced in the 6 proposed project communities since time immemorial. All the communities expressed the urgent need to halt the high rate of bush fires and its attendant loss of soil fertility and environmental degradation to restore biodiversity and soil fertility. During a focus group discussion with the community members in July 2006, they indicated that the consequences of bush fires in their communities are enormous. According to the people, bushfires caused widespread distraction of forestry resources including economic trees such as sheanut and dawadawa. The people also indicated that the perennial bush fires have resulted in the reduction of soil fertility, the tree population as well as the forest resources in general over the years. Bush fires more often than not leads to substantial destruction of farms, which sometimes results in minor famine during the latter part of the dry season?, an old man in his late 40s from VOGGU community lamented. The main causes of bushfires in the two years are attributed to the activities of charcoal burners, honey tappers and burning for bush meat. The community members observed that wild fires usually approach their communities from afar or distant areas, as a result they could not tell what and who might have started the fires.
There is no traditional self-enforcing norm that prohibits people from burning the bush in all the six communities. However, it is considered a crime when one sets fire to the bush and allows it to burn other people?s properties such as farm and foodstuffs among others.
Project Goal:
To mitigate the effects of climate change in the northern savannah through the promotion of sustainable land management; effective soil fertility management, afforestation and wildfire control so as to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide whilst improving the livelihood of communities.

Project objectives:
? To develop local community capacity in wildfire management, green farming systems and use of efficient renewable energy technologies in six communities.
? To encourage the adoption and practice of appropriate agro-forestry and sustainable farming systems that ensure retention and improvement of soil fertility, increased crop yield and protect soil erosion.
? To support the livelihood of direct beneficiaries in six communities through beekeeping, small ruminant rearing and investment in processing of sustainable land management products.

Expected Outputs/Results

The successful implementation of the project shall produce six specific outputs:

1. Capacities of 100 farmers developed and supported in sustainable, land management; adopt wildfire management practices, construct and use fuel efficient wood stoves and adopt soil fertility and water conservation practices and small business enterprise development.

2. 100 farmers supported in widespread adoption of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) and soil fodder banking

3. 100 hectares of degraded community lands restored through established community based woodlots, enrichment planting of shrine grooves, protection of water catchments areas and planting of stylozanthis legume crops to ensure availability of the crop for animals in the dry season.

4. 100 farmers supported to acquire appropriate scientific skills in beekeeping small ruminant rearing and marketing of farm products.

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES

For the realization of targeted outputs sets of activities below are planned

Output One:
Capacities of 100 farmers developed in sustainable land management wildfire management practices, and construction and use of fuel efficient wood stoves.

Planned Activities under Output One (1):

1.1 Discuss and agree with project beneficiaries to enable them make input and agree on time schedule for training programmes in all six beneficiary communities

1.2 Assess and procure basic training materials and conduct workshops in all six communities groups to facilitate training process and enhance transfer of technology to sustain capacities of beneficiaries in agro-forestry practices.

1.3 Conduct training in sustainable land management practices and agro-forestry methodologies in all the six participating communities to equip beneficiaries with appropriate skills to undertake tree planting towards effective land management practices.

1.4 Undertake community fora on wildfire management issues through folkplays and drama to address bush fire prevention and control issues.

1.5 Train four ASHA field staff and 60 community local resource persons (LRP) on bushfire and sustainable agronomic practices in the first year.

1.6 Promote exchange visits for LRPs to educative sites best practices in wildfire management across the Northern Region of Ghana.

1.7 Train household heads on the construction of household sheds to protect and promote use of fuelwood stoves (FEWs)

Output Two (2):
100 farmers trained in widespread adoption of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) through soil health initiative:

Planned Activities

The ISFM strategy involves assessing local soil and water resources and considering how organic matter, fertilizers, farmer cropping systems, and farmer knowledge can work in concert to create highly productive and environmentally sustainable approaches to soil revitalization. The project will therefore undertake the following activities:

1.1 train farmers in the preparation of organic compost from crop residues, domestic waste and pesticides from neem preparation.
1.2 Encourage farmers to plant stylozanties and other leguminous crops to provide nutritious dry season folder within two years
1.3 Encourage groups to go into production of compost and pesticides for use at the village levels to improve farmers? access to appropriate and affordable manure.
1.4 Train farmers on application of manure, crop rotation with legumes that can increase the availability of soil nitrogen and introduction of improved seeds for production of food crops.
1.5 Introduce farmers to improved silos for the storage of grains, legumes and seeds

Output 3
100 hectares of degraded community lands restored through established community based woodlots, enrichment planting of shrine grooves, protection of water catchments areas and planting of stylozanthis legume crops to ensure availability of the crop for animals in the dry season.

Planned Activities under output three (3)

3.1 Organize training workshop to equip 200 participants of the six communities with appropriate skills in Agro-Forestry systems and soil management practices to enable beneficiaries restore 100 hectares of degraded lands.
3.2 Establish and manage community nursery capable of producing 100,000 seedlings a year.
3.3 Organize the communities into activity groups to restore 100 hectares of degraded lands by adopting sustainable land management practices and planting agroforestry trees and mango and cashew under ally cropping
3.4 Organize field train for beneficiary farmers on wildfire management for protection of 100ha established plantations to enhance sustainable land management and biodiversity conservation practices.
3.5 Assist communities to construct fire breaks around plantations and orchards/ alley crop and ensure adequate protection and proper management of plantations

Output 4:
100 farmers acquired appropriate scientific beekeeping skills supported with improved hives, guinea fowls rearing and small ruminant rearing.

Activities Planned

4.1 Identify 40 interested farmers; develop and develop their capacities in modern scientific beekeeping techniques to enable them domesticate and protect bees to produce honey
4.2 Supply trained farmers with 120 Top-Bar hives, protective clothing, and processing items as demonstration and start-up equipment to enable beekeepers successfully domesticate bees for production
4.3 Organize training for 40 interested farmers in small ruminants and guinea fowls production to be integrated into the soil fertility improvement programme to serve as alternative income source.
4.4 Provide start up capital for trained farmers to set up business enterprise in small ruminant rearing.