The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Madam Ophelia Hayford Mensah has ended a two-day working tour in the Kwahu East and West Districts in the Eastern Region.
The minister, during a press briefing on Tuesday, October 1, stated that the purpose of the visit was to familiarize and to also monitor the progress of the project.
“As we all know, we’re simply here to familiarize and monitor the various projects my ministry is undertaking. So we’re here on familiarization tour, apart from that, there’s nothing else. I took over a lot of projects, some I’ve seen, some I don’t even know where they are and the impacts it has on the people and so we initiated this tour for me to know the good work my people across Ghana are doing. The environment encompasses every other thing and we need to sustain the environment. Apart from that, we solely depend so much on our natural resources and therefore, we need to protect the environment and that’s what the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation is seeking to achieve”, she stated at the Kwahu East District Assembly.
The Project Coordinator of the Ghana Landscape Restoration project, I. C Appah indicated that the project began in 2022. He said the project is a World Bank-funded initiative.
The Ghana Landscape Restoration Project is solely responsible for the restoration of degraded lands. The objective of the Ghana Landscape Restoration Project is to sustainably manage the country’s natural resources.
The Ghana Landscape Restoration Project has numerous beneficiary agencies including the Ghana Wildlife Division, Forestry Services Division, Environmental Protection Agency, the Ghana COCOBOD and the Agricultural Ministry.
The rep for the Forestry Services Division, Mr. Nii Kwei Kusachin in his address stated that the FSD is undertaking five interventions in three forest reserves within the Kwahu enclave; admitted farm planting, modified tonja system (where it deals with more of the Agro Forestry practice where farmers are allowed to crop in the Forestry as well plan tress and help nurture them to maturity.
In the past two years, the FSD has established 67 hectares of plantations under modified tonja systems. There’s also enrichment planting, where forest that is not so degraded but with low natural regeneration is assisted. Under enrichment planting systems, the FSD has established 768 hectares.
The Green Fire systems, where the forest estates are protected from the annual bushfires that occur. Over the past two years, the FSD has established 83 hectares.
The Watershed and riverine planting, where water bodies are protected by planting trees around it. This is to reduce excessive siltation from water runoff. Under the watershed, the FSD has established 234 hectares. It has established 76 hectares of woodlogs in the outside forest reserve.
In total, the FSD have established, 1,213 hectares of plantations.
The Environmental Protection Agency added that it has five sites with a land take of 120 hectares in 2022 and then 24 sites with a land take of 274 hectares in 2023 and 92 sites with 1, 143 hectares land take in 2024.
The total number do seedlings planted were 72,265, 122, 005 and 440,517 for 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively, bringing the total number 573,572. Forest trees planted were coconut, oil palm, Acasia, mahogany, Amire as well as fruit trees such as mango, cashew and others. In terms of gender, all beneficiaries in 2022 were all males numbering 18, whereas it had 14 males and a female in 2023 and then 40 males and 4 females in 2024. These projects were undertaken in so many communities such as Demano, Kwasihu, Kyemfre and other communities in the District.
The Food and Agricultural Department of the Kwahu East District also said it had 18 community watershed planning in the District. It also said it had 2,641 citizen – participation. The Youth population was 745 including people with disabilities.
The Minister in her final media briefing expressed her satisfaction at the progress of work done so far. She said, the ministry will continue to support Ghanaian farmers in every other capacity it can.
She urged the farmers to adhere to the directions of the technical officers to be able to come back in the near future and plant their cocoa. The government in the last two years initiated this program to cut down plantations, especially cocoa farms which were not yielding bearings to be replanted.
The Project has so far supported many Ghanaian farmers in different regions across the country. In Kwahu East, communities such as Hyewoden, Demano and many others have benefitted from the project.
In Kwahu West, farmers in Atibie – Amanfrom and Tenkorangkrom, Jejeti and many others have also benefitted.
A farmer in his mid-60s, Nana Adjei has been supported by the government to replant a one hectare cocoa farm and other cash crops on the same land. He told the sector minister how beneficial the project and its associated support from the government and the ministry has been to him.
He said, since the government roll out the project, in about two years, he’s seen massive changes in his new farm as compared to the earlier state where he could not even get a single bag after harvesting his Cocoa farm.
He further expressed his excitement and applauded the government for rolling out such a project across the country.
The project has also supported other farmers in diverse cash crop farming. Some are into rice farming, oil palm, cashew plantations which and others.
