Eco Restore awarding hardworking farmers
Eco Restore, a Ghanaian landscape restoration firm in partnership with NoE and Ecosia, has organized a Durbar for farmers at Nakpanduri in the North East region.
Eco Restore is partnering with communities and other key stakeholders to restore millions of hectares of savannah parklands, riparian forests, and other wooded areas across northern Ghana.
With extensive local knowledge, solid community alliances, and the latest scientific understanding, it brings indigenous tree- and soil-based solutions to the forefront of restoration.
The goal of Eco Restore is to enhance regenerative production systems to provide food security, climate change resilience, & safeguard local livelihoods and to continue offering restoration solutions whilst valorising Carbon Sequestration of Savannah-Sahelian Landscapes.
A director at Eco Restore, Dr. Peter Lovett at the Durbar noted that since 2019, Eco Restore has partnered with communities to plant and grow trees in northern Ghana and they have been very innovative in resolving challenges confronting tree-growing in Northern Ghana.
“With a modest start of 12,000 trees in 2019, we have grown, planting 250,000 trees in 2022 with a projection to plant over 1 million annually .”
According to him, the success of the Eco restore tree growing programme is largely due to the important role communities, traditional authorities and farmers have played.
Dr. Lovett disclosed that farmers were awarded cutlasses, wellington boots, and other paraphernalia to motivate them to continue to work hard to help preserve the landscape.
“It is recognition of this important and significant role that series of durbars are being organized in Nasia, Langbinsi, and Nakpanduri all across the northeast region to motivate the farmers and communities to do more.”
He however lamented the unprecedented level of deforestation, the increased use of chemicals in farming, and the resultant deterioration of the soils and called for immediate action to safeguard the food system and health.
The Project Coordinator of NoE, Abdul Wahid Arimeyaw, indicated that they are in partnership with Eco Restore to help communities to plant more trees to restore their landscapes.
He urged the beneficiary communities to own the tree planting as well as sustain the project.
The Gambaga District Forestry Manager, Nasigri Mahamadu, thanked Eco Restore for their contribution to complement the government’s efforts to restore the landscape and encouraged farmers to protect their farms from bushfires.
“ It’s easy to plant a tree but taking care of it is the most difficult part and so I will like to encourage farmers as we are in the bushfire season they should try and weed around their farms to protect the plants from bushfires.”
FROM Eric Kombat, Nakpanduri