Beyond the communication strategy, the programme will include a strong knowledge management component to ensure that information about the project, experiences and lessons learnt will be shared among all relevant stakeholders. The experiences so derived will be scaled up/replicated in other parts of the country. This also involves major potential for scaling up and synergies in relation to subsequent donor programmes. This project will have a specific learning and knowledge sharing strategy focused on the knowledge needs of key project stakeholders, beneficiaries, and beneficiaries at the community level on climate smart agriculture. The project will have a component of ?knowledge management and dissemination of lessons learned on gender sensitive, climate sensitive, climate-smart agriculture, organic farming, and adaptation planning?, focusing particularly on outreach and information exchange.
Farmers lack capacity in
- organic pesticides preparations
- methods and processes of composting and farm animal manure processing and application
- innovations I e farmer-led Innovation in beehives and honey production technology.
- skills enhancement training on methods and processes of bee keeping and honey harvesting.
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
Improve the access of smallholder farmers to markets and credit facilities that will enable them to engage in large scale climate-resilient and value addition agricultural productivity program that will improve food availability and food sufficiency locally
Policy Impact
In sustainable land management
Project sustainability
It is business enterprise which is yielding profit to the people.
Planning gef grant
Making it a regional program to control charcoal production
Linkages gef projects
No
Planning non gef grant
The Local Government intends to replicate the project accros the landscape.
Notable Community Participation
The NGO has considerable experience working with these communities and had been gathering community members? views of possible future projects. Therefore, through a consultations and discussions with local stakeholders and community members on different issues like climate change impacts and causes of environmental degradation, food, and nutritional insecurity. Local stakeholders given the required spaces and the opportunity came out their views and options on this project. A second round of discussion was organized to validate this project designed and implementation. In addition, a Project Implementation Committee (PIC) will be formed, and its composition shall comprise of local stakeholders, women and youth leaders.
Replication of project activities
The project activities are being replicated
Inovative Financial Mechanisms
The project will also strengthen learning, knowledge sharing, and facilitate peer learning on different adaptation issues amongst women and youth smallholder farmers, past and present GEF grantees, and disseminate best practices acquired through knowledge sharing platforms and the creation of social spaces (physical or virtual spaces) thus creating a constructive and two-way communication
Gender Focus
The project will ensure that empowerment interventions like training and distribution of project benefits benefit both men and women equally. Project makes conscious attempt to involve both men and women equally in the project implementation. First the community project support committees would be made up of both men and women on equal proposition during project implementation. Men and women would equally participate during workshops, awareness creation and receive equal benefits during alternative livelihoods options. The distribution of items would benefit both women and men equally. The project will ensure active and equal participation of both men and women in decision-making by ensuring that there is a balance between men and women in the management committees. Also, gender mainstreaming are crucial project components and will improve the equal participation of women and men in agricultural economic activities. Women groups will make up more than 50% of the project?s direct beneficiaries. The project foresees the equal participation and contribution of women and youth in decision-making through the project?s steering and coordination committee bodies
The project will ensure that empowerment interventions like training will enable both men and women to equally control influential leadership positions in the group and community project management since they are the major users of natural resources and largest proportion of the beneficiaries? population. The project will ensure active and equal participation of both men and women in decision-making by ensuring that there is a balance between men and women in the management committees. Gender issues will also be taken into consideration during implementation in terms of division of labour and ensuring equitable access to resources and benefits accruing from project. In terms of reporting there will be gender segregated data on project participants. The project will provide equal support to women and men led projects in order for them to achieve direct control of productive resources. This project aims at equally addressing men and women?s needs in the areas of food security, livelihoods, and markets
Also, gender mainstreaming are crucial project components and will improve the equal participation of women and men in agricultural economic activities. Women groups will make up more than 50% of the project?s direct beneficiaries. The project foresees the equal participation and contribution of women and youth in decision-making through the project?s steering and coordination committee bodies
Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples
The strategic innovations that this project presents include strategic education and sensitization sessions that goes beyond elderly illiterates to the more educated younger generation of community members (young men and women) who have increasing access to smart phones but are surprisingly less interested in traditional norms, taboos, festivals, etc. to find innovative ways to increase their interest, participation, and commitment not only to biodiversity conservation in sacred groves & sites, but also in the wider landscapes around the sacred groves & sites by use of innovative channels such as Whatsapp Instagram, YouTube, etc. in English and conventional FM radio programming (radio discussions, jingles and radio drama) and 2 local languages, as well as documentary video-clips, bearing scientific and local names for the Ghanaian and international audience/viewership on landscape degradation and rehabilitation issues including the management of sacred groves & sites for bio-diversity conservation
The second innovation is new climate resistant technologies that would be introduced to the farmers including aquaponic farming, metal equipment for compost preparation
The third innovation is the strategic innovative nursing, planting and natural regeneration of shea seedlings by the women and youth in degraded natural regenerating woodlands is a novelty in the area and if successful will share experience and advise the Ghana Government on its Shea butter development programme in the Savannah areas.
Finally, the other innovation which has never been conventionally or traditionally done before, is for livestock farmers to plant into their farms and degraded areas of the undergrowth of the sacred grove/site woodland with seeds of fodder plants like Stylosanthes sp., Cajanus cajan and Leucaena sp. for their livestock feeding.
Policy Influence
There is a ban on cutting indigenous species for commercial charcoal production.
Project Results
Project Achievements
1. In the quest to produce sustainable fuel wood for the people of Akorley Agbodzi community, two carbonated kilns were procured and installed in the community. After sometime, a demand rose from one of the nearby communities within the catchment area (Tsonuasi) to get a kiln. One of the kilns was eventually sent to them in order to make their work easier and also save them the stress of travelling longer distances to have their wood carbonized.
2. The project also acquired 3.2 hectares of land which has been converted into Neem and Cassia plantation for wood fuel production.
3. A total of 50 participants were involved which comprised (35 Females and 15Males). The people were trained on how to use the equipment. after the training, it was observed that the people started making great productions than what they used to get previously under the use of the traditional method. This outcome of the result also excited the people since there has been a great improvement in their production.
4. 40 farmers have been supported to establish 18 ha Neem and Cassia plantation on individual lands to serve as a source of wood supply for the charcoal producers
5. One (1) Tricycle for conveying wood from the farms to the production site was procured for the project. It is currently being used for the multi-purpose. The community also use the tricycle to generate an additional income. This income is being set aside for repair purposes and to start a saving scheme for themselves.
6. the project has trained 50 women from Akorley Agbodzi Community in piggery production and management. They have also been trained in Feed preparation, Fertility Cycle Management, Disease Control, Castration, Institution/establishment of a piggery farm for the group.
7. The project procured sows, and boars and we have had the first reproduction of litters some of which are currently growing well. The group have decided to keep the drove together at one roof since most of them did not have a convenience place to keep them.
8. 45 women have been trained on financial management and introduced to internal means of raising capital to support the work of the women. For example, to direct them on how accomplish the ?susu? of the Village Savings and Credit Scheme.
