By Edward Dankwah, GNA
Accra, July 14, GNA – Madam Helena Esi Hasford, the Project Lead, Tree Personal Emotional Trust (Tree-PET) initiative, says a new agroforestry programme is using personal stories and emotional attachment to encourage vulnerable women in cocoa-growing communities to plant and nurture trees.
The programme forms part of efforts to build climate-resilient cocoa farms.
She said the Tree-PET programme encouraged women farmers to give each tree they planted a personal name inspired by their life experiences, creating a lasting emotional bond that motivated them to care for the trees long after they have been planted.
Speaking on the initiative, Madam Hasford explained that trees were named after loved ones, cherished memories, future aspirations or significant life events, transforming them from ordinary seedlings into valued possessions that beneficiaries were determined to protect.
She said the initiative addressed a major challenge in cocoa farming where shade and timber trees were often neglected despite their importance in enhancing biodiversity, reducing the effects of climate change and helping farmers meet the shade tree requirements under the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
Madam Hasford said the programme also promoted financial inclusion by enrolling participating women in Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), where they received training in savings, financial management and entrepreneurship while receiving stipends over a 50-week period to support the survival of newly transplanted trees.
She said the accumulated savings were shared out at the end of the cycle, providing women with capital to establish or expand small businesses and improve their livelihoods.
“The initiative could eventually evolve into a payment for ecosystem services or carbon credit programme, allowing participating women to earn additional income from the environmental value created by the trees they nurtured,” the Project Lead added.
Madam Hasford said the Asetena Pa Co-operative Cocoa Farming and Marketing Union was piloting the programme in four communities across the Suhum and Ayensuano districts as part of efforts to build a climate-smart, climate-resilient cooperative and achieve full compliance with the EUDR.
She appealed to development partners and other stakeholders to support the expansion of the initiative to more cocoa-growing communities to accelerate climate-smart agriculture and environmental conservation.
Madam Hasford expressed appreciation to partners for their continued support, urging more organisations to partner with the cooperative to scale up the Tree-PET initiative across the country.
Madam Cynthia Tetteh, a Field Officer, Asetena Pa Cocoa Cooperative, called on women and young farmers in the cocoa sector to integrate tree planting into their farming practices to improve cocoa production and build resilience against climate change.
She said planting trees on cocoa farms provides shade for cocoa trees, protects them from excessive sunlight, and contributes to a healthier and more sustainable farming environment.
“When I wake up in the morning, I go to my societies where I meet my farmers, train them, supervise them, go around their farms for inspections, and ensure they carry out activities such as pruning and weeding on time,” she said.
Madam Tetteh, who works closely with cocoa farmers, said she also encourages farmers to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices, adding that she was excited about the Forest Farm Facility Project (FFFP) because of its focus on promoting tree planting among cocoa farmers.
She explained that through the initiative, she had been encouraging women cocoa farmers to plant trees and give them PET names as a way of developing a personal connection with the trees and taking better care of them.
The Field Officer added that increasing the number of trees on cocoa farms would not only benefit the environment but also support cocoa productivity by creating suitable conditions for cocoa trees to thrive.
She urged young people and women engaged in cocoa farming to actively participate in tree planting initiatives to secure the future of cocoa production.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah