Bibiani (WN/R), June 29, GNA – Mr Chrisantus Nifaasoyir, the Nkawie District Manager of the Forestry Services Division (FSD) has advised Ghanaian farmers to fully participate in the government’s Green Ghana Project by making tree planting an important aspect of their farming businesses.
He said tree farming was equally a lucrative business that could bring relatively sufficient income to supplement the incomes of individuals and families to improve their socio-economic well-being.
Mr. Nifaasoyir gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sideline of a ‘Cocoa Target Learning Platform’ programme organised jointly by the local Kokoo Pa Farmers Association, the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Sunyani and the Royal Tropical Institute in the Netherlands.
Held at Bibiani in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality of the Western North Region on the theme: “Crop and Tree Nurseries: Exploring Opportunities for Rural Women and the Youth”, the one-day programme was designed to give the farmers opportunity to engage stakeholders in the agricultural sector to become abreast with best modern and innovative farming practices to enhance their agro-economic income generation.
The participants were 90 cocoa and other tree crop farmers that comprised more females of youthful ages between 15 and 35 from Donkoto, Akantansu and Debra Camp, farming communities in the Atwima-Mponua District of Ashanti Region.
Mr. Nifaasoyir mentioned the benefits of tree planting, saying it improved forest cover, gave shade to crops like cocoa and prevented climate change and its negative impact on food crops and the environment.
Earlier addressing the farmers, Dr. Mrs. Mercy Derkyi, the Dean, School of Natural Resources at the UENR and a facilitator said planting to replace every harvested tree and also cultivating plantains in the cocoa farms averted soil to compact, increased rainfalls, improved and protected soil fertility to increase crop yields.
She, therefore, encouraged the full participation of farmers in the Green Ghana Project for their own benefits in the near future.
Sponsored by the Government of the Netherlands through the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, Dr Mrs Derkyi said the learning platform formation started in Tepa and Mankranso in the Ahafo Ano North Municipality and Ahafo Ano South West District respectively of Ashanti Region, Kade in the Kwaebibirem Municipality of Eastern Region, Sunyani and Atwima Mponua District.
The ultimate goal, she said was to develop and strengthen climate-smart strategies in cocoa production systems to improve the livelihood and incomes of Ghanaian smallholder farmers whose main source of income depended on cocoa.
GNA