Fumesua (Ash), Jan. 27, GNA – Tropenbos Ghana, under its Mobilizing More for Climate (MoMo4C) programme is leveraging on climate smart business opportunities to address some key landscape challenges in the Western North region.

The innovative climate finance programme, is focusing on nurturing sustainable climate-resilient businesses, using a landscape approach.

Mr Evans Sampene, Project Manager for MoMo4C, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Fumesua that the Sefwi-Wiawso and Juaboso-Bia landscapes, which continued to be the hub of cocoa production in Ghana had been selected for the project.

The selection followed the devastating climate change impact, especially on smallholder cocoa farmers.

Other challenges which encouraged the selection of the two districts were the overreliance on cocoa production in mostly Cocoa Swollen Shoot Viral Disease (CSSVD) infested farms, dwindling land for food production which is leading to encroachment on forest reserves and resulting in deforestation and forest degradation.

Additionally, insecure rights over land and trees, limited access to credit facilities for smallholder farmers, and inadequate market for some farm produce, influenced the choice of the districts.

Mr Sampene said notwithstanding the above challenges, there existed some opportunities that sought to transform the areas into resilient climate-smart landscapes for sustainable use.

He said there was a general willingness among the landscape actors both public and private, to collaborate towards more sustainable future-climate-smart actions.

Mr Sampene indicated that Tropenbos Ghana in a recent investor forum for sustainable climate-resilient businesses under the MoMo4C project in the Sefwi-Wiawso, Juaboso, and Bia landscapes, selected the 10 most promising business ideas and cases for further development and support.

These businesses are in the categories of ecotourism, greenhouse vegetable production, soap making, oil palm processing and plantation, organic cassava cultivation, and processing, compost fertilizer, cocoa husk processing, cocoa agroforestry, beekeeping, and processing, as well as fish farming and processing.

He said during the forum potential investors including banks and the National Development Planning Commission pledged to support such businesses in the area.

Mr Sampene explained that the Sefwi-Wiawso and Juaboso-Bia landscapes had already been categorized as a priority area under the Ghana Cocoa Forest Emission Reduction Programme.

There is also the implementation of the Cocoa and Forest Initiative (CFI) project, which sought to rally the private and public sector support for increased cocoa production.

Added to these was the existence of collaborative networks under the Ghana REDD+ Programme (the Hotspot Intervention Area) and other major projects and programs being implemented by Non-Governmental Organizations.

He said the MoMo4C was a five-year program (2019-2024) funded by the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)–Netherlands Committee, World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), and Tropenbos International.

The programme aims to bring together entrepreneurs, corporate entities, policymakers, investors, and civil society organizations to make green business propositions for further development.

GNA

Fumesua (Ash), Jan. 27, GNA – Tropenbos Ghana, under its Mobilizing More for Climate (MoMo4C) programme is leveraging on climate smart business opportunities to address some key landscape challenges in the Western North region.

The innovative climate finance programme, is focusing on nurturing sustainable climate-resilient businesses, using a landscape approach.

Mr Evans Sampene, Project Manager for MoMo4C, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Fumesua that the Sefwi-Wiawso and Juaboso-Bia landscapes, which continued to be the hub of cocoa production in Ghana had been selected for the project.

The selection followed the devastating climate change impact, especially on smallholder cocoa farmers.

Other challenges which encouraged the selection of the two districts were the overreliance on cocoa production in mostly Cocoa Swollen Shoot Viral Disease (CSSVD) infested farms, dwindling land for food production which is leading to encroachment on forest reserves and resulting in deforestation and forest degradation.

Additionally, insecure rights over land and trees, limited access to credit facilities for smallholder farmers, and inadequate market for some farm produce, influenced the choice of the districts.

Mr Sampene said notwithstanding the above challenges, there existed some opportunities that sought to transform the areas into resilient climate-smart landscapes for sustainable use.

He said there was a general willingness among the landscape actors both public and private, to collaborate towards more sustainable future-climate-smart actions.

Mr Sampene indicated that Tropenbos Ghana in a recent investor forum for sustainable climate-resilient businesses under the MoMo4C project in the Sefwi-Wiawso, Juaboso, and Bia landscapes, selected the 10 most promising business ideas and cases for further development and support.

These businesses are in the categories of ecotourism, greenhouse vegetable production, soap making, oil palm processing and plantation, organic cassava cultivation, and processing, compost fertilizer, cocoa husk processing, cocoa agroforestry, beekeeping, and processing, as well as fish farming and processing.

He said during the forum potential investors including banks and the National Development Planning Commission pledged to support such businesses in the area.

Mr Sampene explained that the Sefwi-Wiawso and Juaboso-Bia landscapes had already been categorized as a priority area under the Ghana Cocoa Forest Emission Reduction Programme.

There is also the implementation of the Cocoa and Forest Initiative (CFI) project, which sought to rally the private and public sector support for increased cocoa production.

Added to these was the existence of collaborative networks under the Ghana REDD+ Programme (the Hotspot Intervention Area) and other major projects and programs being implemented by Non-Governmental Organizations.

He said the MoMo4C was a five-year program (2019-2024) funded by the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)–Netherlands Committee, World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), and Tropenbos International.

The programme aims to bring together entrepreneurs, corporate entities, policymakers, investors, and civil society organizations to make green business propositions for further development.

GNA