THE PROBLEM STATEMENT

The main problem confronting the people of Ullo and Konzokalah is land degradation caused mainly by unsustainable land management practices, wildfires and uncontrolled harvesting of trees for firewood and charcoal. Farming practices continue to rely on slash and burn because there are no viable alternative livelihood activities where people would engage themselves. Again, indiscriminate bush burning has become rampant in the traditional area having negative effect on the land productivity. Overgrazing does not allow soils to rejuvenate and regain its lost nutrients to increase crop production but results in decreases in annual crop yields.

One of the major challenges in the area is that the communities are not involve in the implementation of sustainable land management practices neither are they involved in the implementation of forest nor land policies. There is inadequate collaboration between major stakeholders. This has led to destruction of farm lands, loss of soil nutrients, drying up of streams and water bodies.

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECTT

The purpose of the project is to promote collaborative sustainable land management practices in the selected communities through capacity building of farmers on innovative strategies for sustainable land management, introducing farmers to sustainable livelihood activities and developing access to market opportunities locally and globally.

The specific objectives of the project are as follows:

? To promote sustainable agricultural practices among farmers in the “Ullo”
and “Konzokalah’’ area to enable them restore the degraded lands through integrated water and soil management, introducing farmers to sustainable livelihood activities and developing access to market opportunities locally and globally.

• To support sustainable small ruminant rearing, guinea fowl, keeping and groundnut cultivation as a livelihood supplement and supporting farmers to access fair and ready markets for their produce in order to increase their incomes;

• To build and sustain capacities of farmers to enable them identify innovative strategies, approaches and models in linking trade and livelihoods to sustainable land management.

PROJECT OUTPUTS AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES

Project Output 1:
30 ha of degraded lands in the “Ullo” and “Konzokalah” Traditional Area demarcated and put under sustainable land management through water conservation and soil fertility improvement technologies and natural regeneration.

Planned Activities:

Fencing dams areas for better standard of gardening.
These two communities would be assisted with live fence materials and pumping machines to fence the dam area for effective gardening. The people are already into vegetables production which is exposed to thefts, animal’s destruction and low production of vegetables to alleviate poverty.

Prepare participatory Land-use plans
The three communities “Ullo” and “Konzokalah” would be assisted to prepare land-use plans using participatory tools such as resource mapping, community mappings, transect diagram and group discussions. The focus of the land-use plans would delineate clearly agricultural lands from grazing lands, woodlot plantations, settlement lands and lands for natural regeneration. The people’s initiatives for Community transformation would provide resource persons for the implementation of this activity.

Demarcate 30 ha of degraded area and place it under natural regeneration and enrichment planting
The project has already organized community meetings where discussions were held between the chiefs and people about this activity. The chiefs and people indicated their willingness and commitment to the implementation of the activity to rejuvenate the already degraded lands. A 150ha of degraded lands along the sides of the hills would be demarcated and place under natural regeneration. Tree species like neem and cassia seedlings would be nursed and distributed to the farmers to be planted along the hills. The communities have agreed to protect the demarcated area from annual wildfires and encroachment by farmers for farming activities. The activity would be implemented with technical assistance by the forestry Service Department, Ghana National Fire Service and Ministry of agriculture.

Establish Agro forestry on farms of indigenous farmers
In order to protect the surface soil from annual gully erosion, the project will support the indigenous farmers in the project area to establish 20ha agro forestry on their farms using moringa, lucena and other nitrogen fixing plants. The idea is to protect soils erosion and provide economic value to the farmers as well and so the moringa and mango plants would be encouraged for the activity. The moringa plants would reduce malnutrition among children and increase incomes among farmers. Resource persons would come from MOFA.

Provide support to farmers to undertake soil and water management practices.
The project would provide technical support to farmers to use stones to make bonding, trenches, and burrow on their farms to conserve water and reduce erosion on their farms. Because of the undulating nature of the land, this activity is necessary to reduce the impact of run-offs. The project would place 20 ha of degraded lands in the Traditional Area under stone bonding. The MOFA and the PICT would provide resource persons to implement this activity.

Assist farmer to do contour ploughing
Under this activity, the project would assist farmers to identify contours on 20ha of degraded farmlands and taught to plough across those contours in order to conserve water and reduce gully erosion on their farms. Resource persons would come from the MOFA and the PICT to implement the activity.

Establish multipurpose woodlot plantations
This activity is necessary to reduce the pressure on the remaining natural forest on the mountains. The project would demarcate a 5ha of the degraded lands and place it under multipurpose woodlot plantations where households would harvest fuel wood and allow the natural mountain forest to rejuvenate. The activity would be implemented by the FSD and the PICT.

Establish community nursery
A community nursery of 50,000-seedling capacity will be established under the project by the community groups to supply seedlings to all communities involved in the project. The central nursery will provide seedlings (indigenous and exotic; organic mango, cashew, shea, moringa etc) to be supplied to interested farmers with available land. A group of 5 people (2 men and 3 women) would be trained as nursery managers to look after the nursery. The nursery will generate additional income for the project from the sale of fruit seedlings. The project will assist local level entrepreneurs with training, materials, simple tools and equipment to operate their own nurseries to produce the needed planting material. The project would support the introduction of improved planting materials. The activity will be done with resource persons from EPA, MOFA and FSD.

Project Output 2:
100 farmers from the “Ullo”, and “Konzokalah” traditional area received training and support to identify innovative strategies, approaches and models to link trade and livelihoods to sustainable land management.

Planned Activities:

Facilitate the formation of sustainable land management committee
To ensure a successful implementation of the project and a total ownership of the project by the people of the Traditional Area, a seven member land management committee would be formed. The committee would be trained and empowered to organize periodic community forum to promote environmental awareness, change attitudes and behaviors of the people to address environmental problems. 60% of membership of the committee would be women while the remaining 40% of membership represents men. The committee would organize at least one community for each of the sections of the Traditional Area to introduce innovative strategies, approaches and models in sustainable land management to the people. Resources persons would come from EPA and FSD.

Train farmers in the cultivation of tradable savannah agricultural products
The project would organize practical hands-on-training workshops for 120 local farmers on natural resource management, agro forestry and cultivation of sesame seeds, sorghum, millets, groundnuts and other tradable products under drip irrigation. The project will acquire a pumping machine to pump water from under wells that would be constructed by the project beneficiaries. MOFA, ITTU and NBSSI would provide resource persons to support the implementation of this activity.

Organize hands on training for farmers on soil fertility improvement technologies
The project would organize a number of hands-on-training for the 100 farmers selected to improve their knowledge and skills in improved soil fertility technologies and organic farming practices. Each farmer would be taught integrated soil management practices such as compost preparations and usage. Each farmer would be encouraged to establish at least 1ha off farm and applying the technology for improved crop yield. The PICT would draw resource persons from the MOFA to implement the activity.

Train farmers on stone bonding techniques
At least 100 indigenous farmers would be trained on the use of stones to make bonding on their farms to conserve water and reduce soil erosion. They would be taught how to construct trenches and burrows on farms to retain water and planting of nitrogen fixing plants like muccuna for green. Resource persons would come from MOFA.

Train farmers on the donkey and bullocks ploughing techniques
The project would help each community to acquire a set of donkeys and bullocks with ploughing equipment and trails. It will also organize hands-on-training for the 100 farmers selected to pass some skills and knowledge on how to plough across those contours in order to reduce erosion and also conserve water for the crops. Resource persons from the MOFA would assist in the implementation of this activity.

Organize training for farmers on intensive wildfire prevention and management
A fifty member wildfire management volunteers’ squad will be formed and trained to serve as watchdog committee to ensure responsible environmental behaviour. At least twenty-five will be trained in each section of the Traditional area. They will be trained in fire fighting and first aid techniques. After the training, they will be issued with identification cards and Wellington boots. The squads will also help the Traditional area to formulate their own environmental rules and regulations to govern the environment. Resource persons will come from the GNFS and EPA.

Establish Community Learning centre
The project through the community efforts will establish a learning centre to train farmers and provide the need information. When a project is being implemented, a lot technologies and ideas are generated and people always want to get extra information about the technologies on their own due to similar emanating issues during implementation. For this issue to be really addressed there ought to be a place free from obstacles in learning new ideas; the place should be really accessible, less cost and affordable and should be at one’s own time. Hence the project is planned to establish a community learning centre operated by elected members within the community with guiding principles to be enacted by the local leadership.

Organize training for 20 women as artisans to process and trade in seeds and oils
The women’s groups will be assisted to acquire equipment for processing groundnut and sunflower oil. Through the regional wide market development technology, the project will help the groups to advertise on the internet and the USAID URL portal.

Project Output 3:
100 indigenous farmers supported to invest in small business enterprises small ruminant rearing, oil processing and markets access to sustain the businesses.

Planned Activities:

Form farmer trust groups and animate
The project would identify and select indigenous farmers and put them into farmer trust groups based on the existing social capital within the Traditional area. Each farmer trust group would range from 8 to 10 members. Every farmer trust group will have a chairperson, a secretary and a treasurer. Resource persons will come from the PICT.

Provide revolving groundnut and soya beans seeds scheme to women farmers
A revolving groundnut and soya beans seeds credit will be provided to 70 farmers to plant. In the first year of the project, 60 interested farmers will be reached and each farmer will be given one bag of groundnut seed for planting. The beneficiaries are expected to repay a bag and a half to enable the project extends assistance to other farmers next on the line. Resource persons will come from the MOFA and PICT.

Support farmers to guinea fowls and small ruminants
In a discussion with the people of the Traditional Area leading to the design of this project, it indicates that most of the people are interested in guinea fowls and small ruminants. The project would therefore support 70 indigenous farmers to rear guinea fowls on commercial basis. Farmers will be assisted to construct coops and pens. Dropping of these animals would be used as farm manure. Beneficiaries would repay the package to enable the project extend assistance to other farmers on line.

Train farmers on simple book-keeping
Since most of the farmers are illiterates coupled with the fact that all they lack business enterprise development skills, the project will organize 2 hands-on-training workshops targeting at least 120 farmers to upgrade their skills and knowledge of simple booking practices such as keeping data and making entries, calculating profits etc. The two operators will be taught the various records to be kept and how to keep those records properly. The project will get resource persons from the NBSSI

Support and train farmers groups with animal traction
100 indigenous trained farmers would be introduced to animal traction, soil fertility and improvement management, organic farming and agro forestry farming technologies with supply of donkeys with ploughs and carts. Out of 100, 60% would be female beneficiaries. A family nominated by the groups would be made responsible for managing the traction on behalf of the group. A roster on the usage of the traction would be kept be every group to ensure fairness in the usage of the facility. MOFA and PICT will implement the activity

Link farmer trust groups to fair and ready markets
The project would assist farmers to source for better markets for their produce. Market surveys would be conducted and fair market options identified to provide ready market to farmers produce that would increase their incomes to sustain their livelihoods. Such markets should be easily accessible to the farmers. Resource persons would come from the PICT and NBSSI