By Alex Baah Boadi
Sefwi-Wiawso (WN/R), Aug. 28, GNA – Rainforest Alliance, a Non-Governmental Organisation, with support from the Worldwide Fund (WWF) has engaged stakeholders in Sefwi-Wiawso on the introduction of a new project dubbed “Data landscape gap analysis and action plan.”
The project is under the European Union Landscape and Environmental Agility across the Nation Project (EU-LEAN).
The engagement was to build the capacity of the beneficiaries to accelerate jurisdiction sourcing approaches aimed at fixing the gap in data collection management system to improve upon farming and afforestation in the area.
Mr Kwadwo Nti Baniako, Manager Landscape and Community Project Coordinator, said since the inception of the project, it has introduced a few complementary initiatives to address drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, share experiences, support capacity building, provide technical assistance and mobilize resources.
He said the EU-LEAN project for example has an objective to directly support the national efforts to conserve biodiversity, improve livelihood of small holder farmers, while implementing integrated landscape through functional and sustainable landscape governance structures.
The Project Coordinator disclosed that the new project has an overarching goal to increase capacity in developing countries to collect the data needed to participate in jurisdiction performance assessment approaches, which was being implemented at the landscape level to reduce deforestation and forest degradation.
Mr. Nti Baniako mentioned improved ecosystem, human well-being, governance, and increased productivity as part of areas the project covers.
He advised farmers, especially cocoa farmers, to take their livelihood programmes seriously so as not to depend solely on their cocoa production.
Mr Kevin Natey, Senior Associate at Rainforest Alliance, said data keeping has always been a challenge, since some institutions have different data at the district and national levels, and prayed that the new project would help address those lapses to get effective and accurate data in the country.
The stakeholders were drawn from the Forestry Commission, COCOBOD, Lands Commission, DOSVU, Social Welfare, Environmental Protection Agency, among others.
GNA