The cessation of bush burning in some communities in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region has enhanced the growth of some tree species and fruits, helping to restore the vegetation cover.
It has also ensured the availability of fodder in the dry season to feed animals.
Mr Dari Osman Thomas, the Assembly Member for Tailorpe Electoral Area, who disclosed this, noted that hitherto they used to record rampant bush burning in the area.
‘’Due to that farmers did not get fodder for their animals. They walked long distances in search of it.”
“However, since last year, when the ban on bush burning came into force, we have never recorded bushfires in the area. In view of this, we have enough fodder for the animals to graze on. Some extinct fruits and tree species are also growing here.”
He shared this experience when the Board Members of World Vision Ghana (WVG) visited the Tailorpe Community in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region to learn about the impact of the interventions being undertaken by the WVG.
The WVG, as part of the European Union-funded (EU) Landscapes and Environmental Agility Across the Nation (LEAN) Project, incentivised some communities in the region to stop bush burning and plant trees to regenerate degraded areas and restore the forest cover.
So far 17,400 seedlings of cashew have been raised and planted by community members in the municipality while 13,000 seedlings of cashew are currently being raised.
Other indigenous seedlings such as rosewood, dawadawa, baobab are also being raised under the project.
The EU-funded LEAN is a four-year project implemented by WVG, Rainforest Alliance, Tropenbos Ghana, and Eco-Care Ghana to conserve biodiversity, build climate resilience, and reduce emissions from land-use changes in the savannah, high forest, and transition zones of the country while helping local farmers to improve their livelihoods.
Madam Awata Zakaria, a farmer, who has planted cashew on her three-acre farm, said she embraced the initiative because besides the benefits to soil fertility, she would also make some income.
Mr Joseph Yelkabong, LEAN Project Manager at WVG, said the multiple benefits derived from the project were strengthening the environmental agility and enhancing communities’ adaptive capacity against climate change.
Source: Ghana News Agency
