PROBLEM STATEMENT

Ghana is the second leading producer of cocoa in the world but Ghana government has no cocoa plantations. Thus this has been achieved through the combined effort of rural farmers, majority of who are without any formal education. They simply took advantage of the policy environment and institutional framework provided by government which gives them confidence of ownership and invested in cocoa production anywhere there is forest. It stands to reason that creating a similar policy and institutional environment in the forest sector will stimulate forest owning communities and forest dependent communities to invest in forest resource production, management and sustainable utilization in the off-forest reserve areas and change the forest landscape. Ghana government?s interest in forestry is keeping the timber industry in business. With the current rate of forest resource loss 2% or 115,000 hecters per annum (FAO 2007), the future of the timber industry on local timber resource is bleak unless communities begin to invest in conservation of the off-reserve areas of the high forest zone.

Majority of forest lands in the off-reserve areas are in the hands of farmers who have leased them purposely for farming cocoa. Portions of these forest lands are cleared annually to expand cocoa farms. Most farmers have no leased titles to the land they are occupying and therefore no layouts and agreements. The only security of tenure available to them is the extent of land they have been able to cultivate. Most land owning communities have no records of who are occupying their land, the extent of land given out and what is left to give an idea of what forest lands are un-encumbered and can be designated and managed as community forests. Under this circumstance, it is a challenge initiating community forestry from the conventional point of declaring available forest lands as community forest. There will be the need to explore multiple options for developing community forests including use of forests on individual?s farm lands. Thus community forest establishment in Ghana will require engagements and negotiations between the land users and landowners to arrive at consensus agreeable to all stakeholders concerned. Community forestry will not be for the purpose of conservation but sustainable growth and utilization of forest resources with financial benefits to the forest owning communities and land users with long term forest biodiversity and environmental quality improvement.


Wassa Amenfi is the 4th largest cocoa producing district, with about 5 major forest reserves, over twenty community Off-Forest reserves, with Four major forest reserve of national intererst, covering and hosting major and important rivers like the Ankobra basin which feeds over 50,000 dependent farmers. Part of the three reserves is part of the Globally biodiversity Significant area and significantly of National interest. It is significantly looked as an important local ecosystem because
1. It is in the heart of the high forest zone in Ghana.
2. Hosting trees that is near extinction in Ghana and of high economic value, like the odum, Nyankum, Ofram etc
3. Hosting a major significant Basin, Ankobra Basin, where Ghana Government has task Water Resource Commission to lunched a full scale management program for the basin
4. Fuana near extinction like Black and white calibos monkeys, crocodiles etc is hosted by the reserves.
5. Nationally and internationally it is an area that can serve the purpose of Global Carbon sink and purpose of carbon trading.

Locally, the presence of humid micro climate because of the diversity of flora and all season aqua-presence makes it condusive for cocoa cultivation, easy acquisition of Non-timber forest products (NTFP?s), abundance of bamboo for housing and fencing, thus, the local economy is so much dependent on the eco-system.

The favourable conditions have led to high population migration of people from all parts of the country to these parts of the region. There is the fear that almost all the reserves face extinction with the ever demanding needs to grow cocoa as the main cash crop in the area and the fear of non effective local land tenure and land use practices. The stream feeding most of the rivers have dried up due the distruction of vegetation along their banks.

While this might seem an uphill task in the light of land tenure arrangements in Ghana, farmers and communities have been sensitized and have demonstrated high enthusiasm and strong interest in maintaining forest resources on their land or undertake enrichment planting to improve the forest resources on their land as part of their long term investment strategies. In the last 3 years, with facilitation from RECA (project funded by CARE and UNPD-GEF), 500 farmers engaged in farm forest systems and plant 20,300 timber trees of 7 varieties of indigenous timber trees within their cocoa farms and other areas left for forest development in the Wassa West District now Tarkwa Nseam Municipal Assembly. About 800 farmers within and outside the project target beneficiaries are also integrating timber and economic trees into their farming activities, having been inspired by direct project beneficiaries.

RECA is targeting this Local government (Wassa Amenfi East) and sending best practices from her previous project in the Tarkwa Nsueam Municipal to achieve her objectives.

The projects goal will be achieved using the best practices and strategies from the community based biodiversity management (CBBMC) concept adopted from the Gwira Banso and Wassa West District Forest project in the Western Region.

The process for setting up Community-based biodiversity management in cocoa farm may be broken into the following steps:
1) Community Entry
2) Awareness Creation In Communities
3) Identify the Forest Area with cocoa
a. Community Forest and cocoa Management
b. Individual Forest/Land use Planning
4) Decide the Resource Function
5) Develop The Management Plan
6) Implement the Management Plan
7) Review

The concept of Promoting Shaded Cocoa Farms (PSC) to mitigate Climate change is based on three main broad points:

1. Farm Forest and Biodiversity management:
Community members understand various models of farming systems that support the biodiversity management, and praticalizing with Farm forest steps. Here the best farming systems that support biodiversity with different models of farm forest. Farm forest include:
I. Integrating trees, snail farming, bee keeping etc on farms
II. Enrichment plantation (living forest and/or plantations around farms and managing biodiversity both on farms and in forest and plantations.
III. Riparian plantation and distancing of farms from streams and rivers.
IV. Managing off-reserve and nearby farms
V. etc
2. community forestry and biodiversty management
Majority of forest lands in the off-reserve areas are in the hands of farmers who have leased them purposely for farming cocoa. Portions of these forest lands are cleared annually to expand cocoa farms. Under this circumstance, it is a challenge initiating community forestry from the conventional point of declaring available forest lands as community forest. There will be the need to explore multiple options for developing community forests including use of forests on individual?s farm lands. Thus community forest establishment in Ghana will require engagements and negotiations between the land users and landowners to arrive at consensus agreeable to all stakeholders concerned. Community forestry will not be for the purpose of conservation but sustainable growth and utilization of forest resources with financial benefits to the forest owning communities and land users with long term forest biodiversity and environmental quality improvement.


3. Communities? capacity to manage their own resources.
Ghana is the second leading producer of cocoa in the world but Ghana government has no cocoa plantations. Thus this feature has been achieved through the combined effort of rural farmers, majority of who are without any formal education. They simply took advantage of the policy environment and institutional framework provided by government which gives them confidence of ownership and invested in cocoa production anywhere there is forest. It stands to reason that creating a similar policy and institutional environment in the forest sector will stimulate forest owning communities and forest dependent communities to invest in forest resource production, management and sustainable utilization in the off-forest reserve areas and change the forest landscape. With the current rate of forest resource loss, the future of the timber industry on local timber resource is bleak unless communities begin to invest in timber production in the off-reserve areas of the high forest zone.

The CBBMC and PSC concepts has these underlying results/benefit and philosophy like CREMA, creating a win-win scenario
I. That if natural Resource are given ?value? and communities are given the ?authourity? to ?manage? then they will have the ?incentive? to sustainably manage and conserve natural resources.
II. From farm management practices, it enhances effective land use practice with biodiversity conservation an engine to farm sustainance
III. From a rural development perspective it results in improved livelihood and human well being.
IV. From conservation perspective it secures habitats, protects endangered species and may enhance the security of protected areas.
V. From land tenure security it enhance the establishment of Community based land administration (CBLA)
VI. From political perspective it strengthens democratization and accountability at local levels.
VII. from an economic perspective it strengthens local economies and diversify income at community and house hold levels.
VIII. it establish congruency of socio-political, economic and political interest
IX. It has an established equation: Law/Policy + incentive (Gh¢)= sustainable use and poverty reduction

The way forward for sustainable forest and climate change mitigation practice in Ghana lies with community ownership and management of forest resources and being conscious on management practices in the farming practice. Denial of forest owning communities ownership over their forest resources and making a conscious effort to promote shaded cocoa farming can lead to a number of consequences:
? Rapid clearing of the forest resources for cocoa cultivation
? Apathy towards forest resource maintenance
? Environmental degradation
? Loss of water bodies
? Loss of biodiversity
? Poverty of forest dependent communities

1.3 Rationale

Climate change through Biodiversity conservation and management is crucial in sustainable development, as without adequate and sustainably managed natural resources, the agenda for climate change mitigation will be in jeopardy in the long run. For sustainable development to be successful, biodiversity (forest) users and stakeholders need to participate in the management of the resources. The project seeks through a series of actions to enhance people?s capacity and participation in the management of their natural resources to enhance biodiversity conservation and use, to promote sustainable livelihoods and guarantee environmental sustainability for effective climate change understanding and mitigation.

2.0 SCOPE OF INTERVENTION

2.1 GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE
The project will initially be implemented fifteen (15) communities in the Wassa Amenfi East District of Western Region of Ghana, with its district capital as Wassa Akropong. The District has a population of 148,950, with a density of 62 persons per sq km. (2000 H&PC). It is a predominantly rural economy, with agriculture and its ancillary activities being the main live stay of the people, employing over 80% of active population. The major areas of agricultural production include food crops such as cassava, plantain, cocoyam rice and maize. It is also noted among the major cash crop producing districts in cocoa and oil palm. The district produces about 20,000 metric tons of cocoa annually.

To ensure effective project implementation and easy ownership of the project, the project will focus on area councils that has strong hold on the communities. The selected communities are:


COMMUNITIES AREA COUNCIL
Nyamebekyere Aransie Area Council
Mamieso
Wassa Beposo
Atta Kakrakrom
Asuogya Krobo
Gromesa Wassa Akropong Area Council
Moseaso
Amanikrom
Nthiase
Eshiriso

Domeabra Gyapa Area Council
Abesewa Gyaman
Dadieso
Nsopun
Abresuoso

The selection of the communities is based on the ff:
? Areas of high degradation through cocoa farming
? Distance, size of the population
? Areas of high cocoa production.
? Areas of high community commitment.
? Communities with organized leadership and supportive of community-based initiatives.


2.2. TARGET GROUPS
2.2.1. Intended Beneficiaries
? Cocoa farmers
? Other Peasant Farmers

2.2.2 Direct Recipients

? Intermediate partner groups:
- Traditional leaders
- Other community opinion leaders
- Community based organizations
- Religious bodies
- Teachers
- Members of the communities

? Workers and Employers? organizations:
- Plantation workers
- Licensed cocoa buyers
- Farm owners
- Caretakers

? Governmental and Non-Governmental Organization / Departments:
- District MOFA rep.
- District Chief Executive and District Co-coordinating Director
- Director staff and members of: Ministry for Lands and Forestry.
- District Directorate of Ministry of Education
- District Directorate of Ministry of Agriculture

3.0 Project Goal and Objectives

GOAL
? To mainstream Community-based Biodiversity Management Model into cocoa production system so as to promote biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation in cocoa growing areas . .

Objective 1:
? To improve the Capacity of CBO?s and government institutions for the implementation of Community Based Management of Shaded Cocoa in Targeted communities


Objective 2:
? To facilitate established Community Based Biodiversity Management model in 10 Communities targeting up to 80% of cocoa farmers in the these communties.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

Objective 1:
? To improve the Capacity of CBO?s and government institutions for the implementation of CBBMC in Targeted communities

Outputs and Activities
Output 1.1 Capacity of Community members built to participate in Biodiversity conservation in cocoa farms
i. Building and supporting CBO networks and community members on technical forest management in cocoa
ii. Support and build capacity of District Sub-Committees in the district for CBBMC implementation


Output 1.2 Key stakeholders hold duty bearers accountable on biodiversity conservation issues
Activities
i. Understanding of grassroots rights and responsibilities
ii. Understanding of community rights within communities
iii. Supporting communities with information needed for engagement
iv. Building communities capacities for engagement with wider community (village level governance)
v. Improving capacity of DA?s sub committees and General assembly?s meetings as platform for engagement and discussions on DAs biodiversity policy development and implementation.

Objective 2:
? To facilitate the piloting of established CBBMC model in 15 Communities targeting about 80% of cocoa farmers.
Output: 80% of targeted community farmers practicing CBBMC

i. Conduct baseline survey
ii. Community wide education and awareness on climate change and the role of forest degradation.
iii. Development of community based forest management plans to guide community forest governance and accountability between communities and government.
iv. Facilitate the evolution of CBBMC Institution/ decision-making structures with the involvement of DAs
v. Facilitate capacity support for growth of CBBMC institutions and structures
vi. Conduct comparative studies of community forest enterprises to inform project strategies and approach to poverty reduction through enterprises development
vii. Develop at least 10 community nurseries
viii. Training in seedling collection
ix. Purchase at least 100,000 seedlings
x. On-farm technical training
xi. Farm visit and monitoring