The main purpose of this project is to implement innovative strategies, procedures and opportunities to create incentives to increase community investment in sustainable land management through the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices among farmers in the “Mansin, Ohianimguase and Breme’’ area to enable them restore the degraded lands using integrated water and soil management, sustainable livelihood activities and developing access to market opportunities locally.

The specific objectives of the project are as follows:

a) To promote sustainable agricultural practices among farmers in the “Mansin, Ohianimguase and Breme’’ 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.
b) To support sustainable small ruminant rearing, grass-cutter rearing 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;
c) 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.

The main outputs aree
1) 10 acres of degraded lands in the “Mansin, Ohianimguase and Breme” Traditional Areas demarcated and put under sustainable land management through water conservation and soil fertility improvement technologies and natural regeneration

Planned Activities:

1.1.1 Research in the project communities to understand the problem very well.
A research will be carried out in the three communities were the project will be implemented to collect data as a base line upon which the project out puts will be measured against.
1.1.2 Form and Train Project Management Team for the Project

The PMT members will be elected from the three communities that are going to benefit from the project, major stakeholders and the organization which is going implement the project. They will be taken through the project out puts, objectives and the tools they will used to measure the progress of the project.

1.1.3. Prepare participatory Land-use plans

The three communities “Mansin, Ohianimguase and Breme” 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.

1.1.4 Demarcate 10 acres 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 10ha 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 Food and Agriculture (MoFA).

1.1.5 Establish Agroforestry 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 10 acres agro forestry on their farms using moringa, lucena and other nitrogen fixing plants. The idea is to protect soil 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 to support this activity.

1.1.6 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 10 acres of degraded lands in the Traditional Area under stone bonding.

1.1.7 Establish multipurpose woodlot plantations within farms/backyards.

This activity is necessary to reduce the pressure on the remaining natural forest on the mountains. The project would demarcate 5 acres 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 Forestry Service Department.

1.1.8 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, 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.

2) 100 farmers from the “Mansin, Breme and Ohianimguase” traditional area received training and support to identify innovative strategies, approaches and models to link trade and livelihoods to sustainable land management

Planned Activities:
2.2.1 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.

2.2.2 Train farmers in the cultivation of tradable agricultural products
The project would organize practical hands-on-training workshops for 120 indigenous farmers on natural resource management, agro forestry, and cultivation of beans and 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.

2.2.3 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 Project Management Team would draw resource persons from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to provide technical support to this activity.

2.2.4 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 behavior. At least twenty-five will be trained in each section of the Traditional area. They will be trained in firefighting 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. Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be providing assistance to the beneficiaries in this regard.

2.2.5 Establish Community learning centre
The project through the community efforts will establish a learning centre to train farmers and provide the needed information. When a project is being implemented, a lot of 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.

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:
3.3.1 Form farmer trust groups and train them
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.
3.3.2 Provide revolving groundnut seed scheme to farmers
A revolving groundnut seed 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.
3.3.3 Train farmers on simple book-keeping
Since most of the farmers are illiterates coupled with the fact that all they lack is 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 book keeping 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.
3.3.4 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.