Hand of Dewein operations to enhance women and Indigenous farmers in Dewein, Bomi County.The project communities are faced with the problem of rapid environmental degradation due to the unsustainable methods of traditional slash-and-burn farming, Over dependency on the already exhausted uplands especially in the area identified for crop farming, logging, charcoal burning, are causing induced large scale deforestation, reduced soil fertility, and environmental degradation such that the populations face a steady decline in agricultural productivity causing poverty, hunger and malnutrition. The project is intended to address some of these global environmental and development issues in the target communities. This project is designed to help farmers concentrate more on the utilization of better farming techniques. The project will organize, train, engage, mentor, and supervise the identified farmers. There are Farmers Based Organizations (FBOs) existing in the targeted community,but they

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are generally weak in terms of strategic planning, governance, management, financial control, project/service delivery and fundraising. Because of these weaknesses they are often not targeted by donors, grant makers, and other higher development actors for project and other service deliveries. As a result rural communities are underserved and unprivileged in terms of basic amenities. This project seeks to address these weaknesses through training; post-training supports for 160 members of 5 FBOs. The supports will be in terms of funds, mentoring, coaching, monitoring, evaluation and supervision. The trained 5 FBOs will acquire knowledge and skills during the capacity development training for project implementation. Food shortages are on the increase particularly in the rural areas with fertile land because majority of the old people who own large acreages of arable land including Inland valley swamps are unable to develop and cultivate them sustainably. Some of them have the means to pay for labor but there are not organized, formidable and do not maintain viable youth work gangs. A large proportion of suitable swamps are underutilized every year. People depend largely on traditional cash crops for cash incomes. Plantains/bananas can thrive very well in the targeted communities but there are no large-scale plantain/banana farms of pure stands. Plantains/bananas can serve as good sources of food, and they are also in high demand in the local and international markets. Each of the 5 pilot FBOs will be supported to establish and manage 2 acres of plantain/banana farms of pure stands, an estimated 100 stands. This will assist the 5 pilot FBOs to have sufficient and stable financial and other resources to sustain their functions and operations without much dependence on outside assistance. If the capacities of FBOs are consolidated they can be better placed to serve as intermediaries between donors, NGOs, and other development actors, especially for the provision of community-based services like swamp development and tree crop rehabilitation. More realistically, if the capacities of the FBOs are developed, donor confidence in them will increase and the channeling of basic resources for development through them will be enhanced. Above all, empowering FBOs, and rural based youths may contribute greatly to the reduction of rural youth unemployment and migration to urban communities, and generally reduce poverty. The project activities and objective outcomes/results are directly aligned with GEF?s focal areas of land degradation and more specifically on Capacity Building. Moreover, ensuring that the communities effectively use their land will help to mitigate and prevent environmental threats.

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