By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi
Accra, June 12, GNA – World Vision Ghana together with Catholic Relief services, with technical support from the World Agroforestry Centre has planted over 200, 000 seedlings in the last five years.
The initiative, which took place in the Bawku West, Mion and Garu-Tempane districts is under the Landscapes and Environmental Agility across the Nation (LEAN) Project.
The LEAN is a 4-year European Union funded project in three biodiversity landscapes, which are the savannah landscape, covering West Gonja and Kasena Nankana districts; the transition landscape covering Nkoranza, Techiman and Offinso enclave and high forest zones covering Bibiani-Anhwia-Bekwai, Sefwi Wiawso, Bodi and Akontombra.
It is part of a larger EU Re-greening Africa project, flagship programme aimed at restoring degraded landscapes, enhancing biodiversity, and improving livelihoods across Africa.
World Vision Ghana’s engagement had helped 17,550 farmers benefit from compost making and other conservation Agricultural practices training in the project operations.
Also, 11,920 lead farmers and fire stewards trained in Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) and bushfire management in Bawku West, Mion and Garu-Tempane.
Ms Abena Dufie Woode, Senior Project Manager, EU LEAN Project, said, one of the key components on the LEAN is restoration and since the inception of the project in 2020, they raised and distributed one million tree seedlings of native and exotic species.
She said over 75 seedlings nursery in the landscape communities had been established and most of the seedlings they had raised had been supporting the Green Ghana Day over the time.
“In this particular year within the high forest zones alone, we have raised and distributed 90, 000 seedlings to the various forest service divisions we are working in,” Ms Woode said.
She said they had set up diversification enterprises for farmers to support the farmers livelihoods, adding that the project had benefited about 20, 000 people directly and 40, 000 indirectly.
GNA