BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT AREA

The two main activities of YIDRHRP include raising awareness about desertification causes and impacts, and the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources through woodlot establishment. The woodlots comprise a total of 13 acres and are aimed at providing women with alternative sustainable sources of firewood, alleviating poverty, reducing deforestation and land degradation, and creating awareness on combating desertification through tree planting. This part of the project also aims to provide practical demonstrations to local people that they can then replicate for sustainable fuelwood and a source of income, thereby reducing the need to rely on the scarce savannah woodlands. Alongside this project is an anti-bushfire campaign in three other adjoining communities of the same District aimed at raising the local awareness of the need to control bush burning in the area and to promote community involvement in sustainable natural resource management.

The groups have managed to establish fast growing and well maintained woodlots. Fire belts have also been established and maintained which help to protect the woodlots from fire damage. Activities aimed at raising awareness of bushfire damage have made local communities realize the value of fire belts for the protection of crops and properties. The membership of YIDRHRP continues to increase and new members receive education and information from existing members, so that awareness of sustainable resource use is gradually spreading. Some members have offered their time to become trained by the local District Assembly as community fire squad volunteers.

3.0 DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM

In spite of these achievements, certain factors pose serious obstacles to the realization of long-term project objectives aimed at preventing land degradation and sustaining livelihoods.

The members who harvest firewood are unable to replicate the project by establishing their own woodlots for a sustainable source of firewood. This is due largely to a lack of access to seedlings for local people to plant on their own lands and farms. Consequently, the women continue to harvest firewood from the natural savannah, exacerbating problems of deforestation, land degradation and desertification. The women have identified the need for a central community nursery that can supply the necessary seedlings. The other problem is women’s access to land for establishing their own woodlots, but this could potentially be overcome by creating family woodlots on family-owned farmland.

Hunters setting fire to the bush in pursuit of bushmeat continues to be a major cause of bushfires in Kolpiene, Muesama, Oli, Dabo, Namuo, and the surrounding areas. This poses serious threats to the woodlot projects, and future aforestation, reforestation, land rehabilitation and poverty alleviation programmes in the communities. Hunting is a major economic activity for local men who set fire to the bush to drive the animals out. The fires spread easily causing loss of vegetation and biodiversity, soil erosion, desertification and the destruction of crops and property. As a result of the continued anti-bushfire campaigns and awareness raising activities, local hunters now seem keen to participate in programmes that will provide them with the knowledge and skills to source their bushmeat using alternative sustainable methods.

This proposal calls for further support to implement a programme to continue this work. It is intended that further work will consolidate and build on existing activities for the long-term benefits of the Kolpiene, Muesama, Oli, Dabo and Namuo community and surrounding villages and environments. It also aims to achieve the full potential of existing initiatives in preventing land degradation, rehabilitating degraded lands, and providing direct economic benefits to local people.


4.0 PROJECT GOAL, OBJECTIVES & OUTPUTS

4.1 Goal

The main aim of this project is to prevent further land degradation, reverse desertification and sustain local people’s livelihoods in the dry land communities.

4.2 Specific objectives and intended results

Objective 1
To reduce the incidence of bushfires in the dry land communities through promoting wildlife domestication in homes as an alternative to hunting in the bush with fires, and to support their livelihoods.

Specific intended results
• A minimum of five local hunters undertaking pilot projects in rearing bushmeat;
• A minimum of 100 training manuals/guides produced and distributed on the topic of bushmeat production, written in soft English language easy to read even by a primary school pupil;
• Improved economic well-being for local people;
• Increased participation of local people in the on-going natural resource management and poverty alleviation activities in Kolpiene, Muesama, Oli, Dabo and Namuo and the surrounding villages.

Objective 2
To enhance the availability of tree seedlings in dry land communities in the Kolpiene, Muesama, Oli, Dabo and Namuo to support and sustain the local people’s on-going initiatives in land conservation and rehabilitation, afforestation, reforestation and to alleviate poverty.

Specific intended results
• At least 100 people replicating woodlots on an individual basis;
• At least 5,000 seedlings established and contributed to communities in the Kolpiene, Muesama, Oli, Dabo and Namuo;
• One central tree nurseries established;
• 25 people trained in establishing and maintaining tree nurseries;
• A minimum of 150 training manuals/guides produced and distributed on the topic of tree nursery establishment, produced in English languages;
• Improved economic well-being for local people;
• Pressure on the surrounding vegetation for firewood and charcoal production reduced significantly.

Objective 3
To promote partnerships with traditional authorities to increase the effectiveness of community natural resource management programmes in the dry lands.

Specific intended results
• Traditional regulations, taboos and by-laws to manage local natural resources strengthened, developed and implemented;
• New by-laws established to prevent bush fires;
• 2 traditional rulers and their council of elders, opinion leaders and local authority members will have attended a workshop on traditional management systems, taboos, bushfire prevention and natural resource management;
• Dialogue with traditional leaders on securing flexible land tenure systems will have been initiated.

Objective 4
To promote activities that will reduce the incidence and severity of bushfires.

Specific intended results
• Kolpiene, Muesama, Oli, Dabo and Namuo fire volunteer squad trained, equipped and functioning;
• Fire volunteer squads in the District networked and functioning;
• Produce 100 anti-bushfire educational manuals in easy English;
• The incidence of bushfires reduced in Kolpiene, Muesama, Oli, Dabo and Namuo and the surrounding villages.