Two Communities In West Mamprusi Combat Land Degradation Through Tree Planting

By: Joseph Ziem
As part of the ongoing joint implementation of a nine-month climate change adaptation and mitigation project in Zua and Mishio Communities by the West Mamprusi District Assembly and the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation (HSF), about 14,500 acacia, mahogany, and other tree species have been procured for planting.

The project dubbed: “Fighting climate change through re-forestation” has the overall goal of increasing tree population in order to effectively combat desertification in the West Mamprusi District and further contribute to the ongoing global effort in the fight against climate change. 

The project also seeks to create awareness, support community members with alternative livelihood occupations and further strengthen civil society capacity to take up their own initiatives in the fight against climate change. 

According to the West Mamprusi District Coordinating Director, Alhaji Inusah Abubakari, the Assembly on behalf of the two community beneficiaries requested financial support of Sixteen Thousand, Forty-Eight Ghana Cedis (GH¢ 16,048.00) from the HSF to procure the seedlings for the immediate planting in Zua and Mishio communities.

“The said amount requested from the HSF, would be used to procure 14,500 acacia, mahogany among other seedlings, purposely for the river banks. The number of seedlings to be procured is based upon the Forestry Services Division resource person professionals’ advice, ” he explained. 

Alhaji Abubakari also noted that the financial assistance requested from the HSF would be used to pay for the services of the Forestry Services Division officers who would lead and be directing the planting as well as the per diem of Project and Deputy Project Coordinators during each visits to the two communities. Adding, “The community supporting members who will volunteer to prepare and plant the seedlings, would also be provided with breakfast and lunch.” 

The Coordinating Director further explained that mango seeds would also be procured next year for planting along the river banks since they are drought resistant and their fruits could be used for economic income to support the livelihoods of the people. 

The acacia and mahogany are flood resistant as their roots store more water than normal trees, he indicated stressing that, they would be planted close to the river banks. 

Meanwhile, the tree planting targets the degraded lands along the White Volta River Basin in the Zua and Mishio communities whose tree population drastically reduced due to intensive farming activities carried out all year round by the local community farmers. Thus, the planting of the tree plants would increase the tree population to provide vegetative cover to the White Volta Basin and have the potentials of meeting future energy, atheistic and medicinal needs of the two communities.