Beneficiaries of the Eco Restore training
As part of efforts to regenerate degraded landscapes and increase the survival rate of indigenous trees, Eco Restore Limited, a leading reforestation and restorative Ghanaian social enterprise which blends ancient sustainable practices with cutting-edge regenerative techniques to enhance soil health, restore biodiversity and ensure food security for future generations, has embarked on parkland restoration training in 23 communities across the East and West Mamprusi municipalities in the North East Region.
The trainings, which took place from November 8 to 17, aimed to educate tree farmers on how to protect and manage their trees against wildfires and animal destruction, as well as to guide them on best practices to ensure that the trees they grow survive and thrive within their parklands.
The beneficiary communities included Sagadagu, Bunboazio, Tangbini, Boamasa, Kparigu, Takorayiri, Namiyala, Bongbini and Gbangu.
The rest were Binduri, Nabulugu, Shelinvoya, Zanguga, Tinpela, Sawaba, Singbini, Boayini, Dobaya, Sooba, Tiya, Fung, Fio East and Fio West.
The trainings forms part of the Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project (GSLERP), a five-year programme that began in 2022.
The project is funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) with matching private sector investments and jointly implemented by the Forestry Commission of Ghana (FC) and The Global Shea Alliance (GSA) with technical assistance from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
As part of the project, Bunge, a leading international shea processor, partners with Eco Restore, has set up community nurseries, and training hundreds of tree farmers to restore thousands of hectares of land whilst growing back hundreds of thousands of indigenous trees, while Agriterra, a partner of Bunge, has set up women’s shea cooperatives, trained thousands of their members, and constructed warehouses whilst supplying improved cookstoves. Seventeen of this year’s protection trainings were in GSLERRP communities
Eco Restore client, Fuji Oil Ghana, a major shea processing firm, finances further enhanced parkland and restoration efforts through the growing back of tens of thousands of indigenous trees across Northern Ghana.
Six of this year’s protection training were in Fuji-supported communities which are part of the wide network of over 100 women-led cooperatives operating under Fuji Oil Ghana’s Tebma Kandu shea sustainability programme, supporting them with warehouses, tricycles and shea processing equipment.
The training focused on how to guard young indigenous trees from fire and livestock, parkland soil management techniques including compost making, mulching, the effects of chemical fertilisers, effects of cutting trees, bush burning and broader regenerative agroforestry practices.
In an interview, Dr. Issahaku Zakariah, a Co-Founder and Director at Eco Restore Limited, said the trainings are designed to encourage farmers to adopt best practices to ensure tree survival, particularly through the harsh harmattan season.
“In this part of the country, unsustainable practices such as clearance of tree cover, for charcoal production and agriculture, have caused severe parkland degradation. That is why Eco Restore, in collaboration with its partners, is carrying out these trainings to help reverse the trend,” he said.
Mr. Abubakari Amadu Baaba, Assistant Operations Manager for Tree Growing at Eco Restore, noted simple yet effective measures such as guarding young trees with sticks, clearing vegetation around trees to prevent fire spread, and managing grazing to control damage by livestock.
“We scheduled these trainings for November because this is when the harmattan period starts, bringing dry conditions and a heightened risk of bushfires, and we believe that this is the time farmers must be most vigilant,” he explained.
Madam Safia, a shea picker from Bunboazio, shared her experience, saying, “Eco Restore and their partners have encouraged us to stop bush burning and the indiscriminate cutting of trees. In our community, we have agreed to take bush burning seriously. Whenever we notice someone starting a fire, we inform the authorities and fight the fires to ensure our trees and farmlands are protected,” she noted.
Another tree farmer, Abdul Rahman Haruna from Boamasa said, “All my trees are surviving so well because of the advice and guidance I received from Eco Restore. The best way a tree can grow well is through regular care, clearing weeds, mulching, and guarding it with sticks,” he stated.
FROM Eric Kombat