Biological Diversity is a very cardinal component that human needs to exist on earth. It aids in our health and well-being, social and cultural benefits, economic development, which are the foundations of sustainable development and the ecosystem. Today, with our advancement in technology and increase in human population, our actions toward the earth have re-shaped the diversity of species, genes and ecosystems to the extent that, the biodiversity are denigrating. With Liberia being no exception, biodiversity has declined significantly over the years, and the country has lost many of its important species, while most of the ecosystems have been degraded. To protect the ecosystem and prevent species from being endangered among other things, our biodiversity system must be conserved.
To ensure the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) # 15.9 which talks about the integrate ecosystem and biodiversity value into national and local planning are achieved, it is essential to support the actions of human behavior to become eco-friendly and (15.5) take urgent and significant actions to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
In an attempt to support meeting this goal, eight months project which aims to provide capacity building support to disable (or physically challenged) farmers? participation in the implementation of biodiversity conservation in Fahnfan Clan, Todee district, Montserrado County has been designed. The overall objective of the project will be to support communities to maintain and improve biodiversity conservation through building the capacity of physically challenged farmers (individuals/ groups) to implement activities that will increase biodiversity. Specifically, the project will build capacity of disable farmers to participate in biodiversity conservation and engage them in sedentary farming with organic approach to produce crops and vegetables such as (sweet corn, groundnut, Cabbage, Cucumber, tomato, Okra, bitterball, pepper, lettuce, onion, and Carrot). The target area for production is at most 12 acres.
The total budget of the project is Twenty Thousand United States Dollars (20, 000.00USD). With this budget, it is expected that about 40 physically challenged farmers will be trained in conservation of biodiversity and empowered to make use of local resources (organic fertilizers) found in their community to promote sedentary farming, produce healthy diet and to protect the ecosystem.
1.2 PROJECT RATIONALE/JUSTIFICATION
Like in many rural communities in Liberia, Todee District located in rural Montserrado County (located in South Western Liberia) with the total population of 33,998 has farming as the primary economic activity (LISGIS, 2008). The farming approach used by many farmers, including the disable farmers, is not ecofriendly, even though access to a sustainable biodiversity remains an essential part of good ecosystem in Fahnfen Clan, Todee District that has biodiversity degradation.
To promote good ecosystem, it is important to support the physically challenged farmers who are discriminated in many forms, but willing to engage in faming activities. In an assessment conducted by us sometime this year, it was observed that avoiding these group of farmers excludes them form economic development of the country, and leads to unequal access to quality livelihood.
At the end of the project, it is expected that about 40 physically challenged farmers in Fahnfen Clan capacity will be built in conservation of biodiversity and empowered in sedentary farming. These farmers? livelihoods are expected to improve and become self-reliant through ecofriendly production and introduction of sedentary farming. Specifically the project results will include:
? Physically challenged farmers are participating in sedentary farming. By this, disable farming are making use of local resources to produce organic fertilizers to enable them become ecofriendly and maintain permanent production sites.
? Disable farmers are mainstreamed in the economic development through their involvement in agricultural activities.
? Farmers, particularly the physically challenged, knowledge increased in biodiversity and appropriate agricultural practices promoted in project communities.
? Shifting cultivation minimized for the preservation of forest and to boost biodiversity conservation