The Karugbunto, Bulampuso, Jangbarigape, Biboposo (No.1) Biboposo (No.2) and Gandalsipe areas of the Gonjaland are deprived in terms of social and technical infrastructure. Children in the area only have access to primary education. The few children who had some basic education often drop out as their parents are not able to afford transport to continue their education.

The area experiences erratic rainfall pattern which affects food production in the area rendering the area vulnerable and prone to draught and hunger. When the farms fail in any given year, the fastest available remedy for the farmers is the cutting of trees for fuel wood and charcoal, which are the major economic activity of women in the area. The area experience annual wildfires which has destroyed most of the vegetation rendering the land bare with very little vegetation. In 2003 there was the worse form fire disaster that completely burned all vegetation in the area. This disaster brought a change in the community attitude towards environmental management. This gave birth to Karigbunto Agroforestry Cooperative Group (KACFG) whose vision was to control wildfires through agroforestry practices. It is based on the belief that the people will control the environment if they have a stake in its. In this effect, a 20 hectare land was released by the chief to members of the KACFG to develop agroforestry farms and set up a buffer zone for grass to be used as roofing thatches. Besides, KACFG embarked on natural regeneration and management of shea trees in the wild ? about 10 ha of shea tree have been preserved so far.

The success of KACFG has caught up with the rest of the communities. All the six communities fringing Karigbunto intends to practice agroforestry and natural regeneration and resource management. A site has also been earmarked for a nursery project which will be fenced near the dam to develop seedlings for prospective farmers for their individual and group farms in their respective communities.

Women who are involved in fuel wood and charcoal as their secondary income earning activity are being organized into groups to solicit support for them to improve upon their shea butter processing activities in order to save the large vegetation of shea trees which are being depleted.

1.2 Overall project goal:

The goal of the project is promote sustainable land management practices through natural resources management and agroforestry so as to improve on the socio-economic wellbeing of the people.

1.3 Project objectives

To be able to attain the overall goal, the following are specific and achievable objectives are formulated to guide the attainment of the project goals.

 To organize environmental awareness education campaign in all 6 communities.
 To develop the capacities of the local communities in sustainable management of natural resources for the conservation of plants, wildlife, medicinal plants and other ecosystems
 To establish tree seedling nursery to provide seedlings to farmers.
 To assist members of the community to develop woodlots and agroforestry farms.

1.4 Rationale of the project

The project seeks to promote sustainable land management through agroforestry and sustainable management of natural resources by expanding the cultivation of more community agroforestry farmers and woodlot plantations; establishing seed nursery to provide seedlings to farmers, and provide credit facility to women to procure sheanuts for processing, and food stuff for sale in the markets.

These activities fall within the GEF/SGP programme of sustainable land management. The project also seeks to minimize the rate at which wood is being harvested by women by providing alternative energy sources. This among others will help change the rate at which the climate conditions are fast changing over the years.

2. PROJECT OUTPUTS:

The following are the intended results to be achieved after implementing the project activities:

? Over 6,000 seedlings planted and managed.
? 250 farmers trained in land management and agro forestry practices
? One shea butter extraction plant installed.
? Community nursery with 10,000 seedling capacity established.
? Communities in the Karigbunto area adapt sustainable management of natural resources.

3. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES.

The following are activities identified to be identified to achieve the project goals. These are activities intended to be implemented to achieve the project outputs. They are action oriented and specific to achieving the project outputs and eventually the attainment of the overall project goal.




OUTPUT ONE:
OVER 6,000 SEEDLINGS PLANTED AND MANAGED:

Specific activities

Under the technical supervision of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) Extension Officer, members of the Group in the six communities as well as the entire Karubinto community will establish and manage a 5ha woodlot and replace all the fire affected seedlings on the KACFG agroforestry plantation.

OUTPUT 2:
250 FARMERS TRAINED IN AGRO FORESTRY MANAGEMENT.

Specific activities

All the registered members of the group will be trained in agro forestry technology and farm management. These training workshops will be on the farms and will be facilitated by the MOFA, extension staff.

Community environmental sensitization meetings will be organized in all 6 surrounding communities. These meetings will bring together environmental experts from the environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Agro forestry officer from MOFA, and forest plantation officers from the forestry department. These experts will assist the communities to adopt good environmental management practices.

OUTPUT 3
ONE SHEA BUTTER EXTRACTION PLANT INSTALLED.

Specific activities

The project will assist the women groups to acquire and install shea butter extraction plant at Karigbunto to process the shea butter collected from the area. A 5 member management team will be trained to manage the extraction machine as a business entity. With the assistance of Christian Mothers Organization in Tamale, the women would be trained in improved shea butter processing in order to meet the international market. Marketing arrangement would be made with African 2000 network to buy all the shea butter to be produced by the women.

Prior to installation of the machinery, the shea producers would be organized into trust groups and trained in business management, recording keeping, marketing, banking and financial mobilization. The groups will open account and project will help them acquire the essential equipment for operation and a start-up capital in the form of nuts. Part of the revenue generated from proceeds made will be saved in the group account to procure an additional plant for the other communities.



Output 4
10,000 SEEDLINGS NURSERY CAPACITY ESTABLISHED.

Specific activities:

The project will assist the community to acquire basic nursery equipment like chain wire tools and a water storage tank to run a community nursery. A three member nursery attendants will be appointed from among the KACFG members to manage the nursery on commercial basis. The nursery attendants will be given some remuneration from proceeds generated form the nursery.

The nursery will provide seedlings on credit to members and farmers who participated in the training programmes. These farmers will pay for the seedling at the end of the farming season when they would have sold their crops. Non-members especially form outside the Karigbunto area will pay prices for the produce.

Output 5
COMMUNITIES IN THE KARIGBUNTO AREA ADAPT SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES.

Specific activities

Each of the six communities will set aside 20 ha natural regeneration area to be managed from bush fires, conserve wildlife and nurture shea butter trees. Traditional laws and regulations would be reviewed, updated and enforced to ensure sustainable natural resources management in the areas. The staff of the Forest Services Division and Rural Fires Service will train the people in fire management, early burning techniques and wildlife management.

In order to ensure the full participation of the communities, and the Assemblyman, the chief farmer, chairman of the KAFCG and representative of the Yabonwura (Paramount Chief) will lead a five member delegation to meet with the various chiefs in the outlying communities to control fire. The Yabonwura will be assisted by the project to control bushfires and group hunting in the area.