Increasing number of women in extreme and abject poverty in the Akuapen North District and its environs has rendered a vase land marginalized. About eighty percent (80%) of such women are single parents resulting from teenage pregnancy or school drop-out. They thus eventually become care takers (bread winners) of the whole family shouldering the entire burden.

In their quest to face the ordeal, they tend to over use the only available resource-land to farm or collect firewood and/ or wild fruits for sale to earn a living.
This exercise does not only destroy the fertile agriculture land, but also leave more and more women poor as their only resource is made unproductive.

Supportive Women’s Organization which has already trained about 800 women in small scale business enterprises thus wants to reach out to more of such under-privileged women and build their capacities in small business enterprises and at the same time conserve the scarce land through agroforestry.

3.0 PROJECT GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

From the aforementioned, the overall goal is to empower rural women to respond to climate change and biodiversity conservation through agroforestry development and sustainable agriculture in biodiversity conservation for a sustainable livelihood.

3.1 PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The specific objectives of the project are
1. To undertake agroforestry development and sustainable agriculture in conserving biodiversity in the Akuapen North District.
2. To process and package non-timber forest products for the export market.
3. To train dropouts and teenage mothers in rural enterprises for sustainable livelihoods.

3.2 EXPECTED OUTPUT

1. Four Poor and vulnerable single mothers groups assisted to establish agroforestry farms and practice sustainable agriculture in Saforo and its environs

2. Environmental Resource Management and Livelihood Technology and Systems Demonstration/Learning Centre assisted to rehabilitate fish ponds to train women in aquaculture

3. 50 dropouts and teenage mothers trained in rural enterprises including processing and packaging of food and fruits for sustainable livelihoods.

4.0 PROJECT ACTIVITIES

OUTPUT 1 20 poor and vulnerable single mothers assisted to establish agroforestry farms and practice sustainable agriculture in Saforo and its environs

Planned Activities
1.1 Organize three community fora in the Akuapim North District to create awareness in Biodiversity conservation and Climate change.
1.2 Organize poor and vulnerable single mothers into groups to undertake agroforestry to increase the quality of vegetation in the area.
1.3 In collaboration with Ministry of Food and Agriculture organize integrated soil fertility and organic farming to women’s groups
1.4 Assist women’s groups to practice organic farming on their farms
1.5 Assist the women groups to integrate farming of non-timber product such Aframomum melegueta (efom wisa); Piper guineense (?soro and ?fom wisa); passion fruit, moringa, and orange with the agroforestry.

OUTPUT 2 Environmental Resource Management and Livelihood Technology and Systems Demonstration/Learning Centre assisted to rehabilitate fish ponds to train women in aquaculture

Planned Activities

2.1 In collaboration with MOFA rehabilitate fish pond at the Learning Centre
2.2 Mobilize women who are interested in fish farming and offer them practical training
2.3 Assist interested women to establish own fish ponds.


OUTPUT 3 50 dropouts and teenage mothers trained in rural enterprises including processing and packaging of food and fruits for sustainable livelihoods.

Planned Activities

3.1 Identify 50 needy, poor and vulnerable teenage and drop outs single parents.
3.2 Identify their training needs and classify them according to trade
3.3 Identify resource persons and organize training workshop to train them in selected activities at the Learning Centre.
3.4 Train the women groups in processing and packaging of black pepper, moringa, orange and pineapple for the local and export market.
3.5 Training interested women groups in construction of efficient wood fuel stoves as a business