“3 years ago, I didn’t have my own farm but was supporting my husband on his cocoa farm. You see, am a very hardworking woman, and having my own farm gives me so much joy and independence”, famous Theresa Mawusi.
Located in the small city known as Anwianwia in the Asunafo North Municipal Assembly of the Ahafo Region of Ghana, Theresa and some of her friends narrated how troublesome it is for girls to have access to farmlands in communities round forest reserves.
“The problem is that we have limited farming land in this area because of the Ayum forest reserve. We grow a lot of cocoa here so mostly is the men who get access to the limited land to farm”, acknowledged Rose Praman who lives in Akwaduro, one other village in the Asunafo-North Municipality.
Addressing land inequity
The system that regulates access and management over land and land tenure differs extensively throughout areas in Ghana. Until the passage of a brand new land Act in 2020 (Act 1036) to safeguard spousal land rights, which presumes that any land acquired throughout marriage by one partner is co-owned by each spouses, typically males had been having unique property rights to land excluding girls. Despite the new regulation, suggestions from the girls reveals that the scenario has not modified on the floor. Evidence reveals that fairness in access and management over land is an essential instrument for women’s financial empowerment in growing nations.
As half of efforts to help the nation meets its climate mitigation targets, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Ghana Cocoa Board and Mondelez International are supporting farmers to have access to degraded forest reserves for agroforestry by way of the Environmentally Sustainable Production Practices in Cocoa Landscapes undertaking.
Through the undertaking’s interventions and with the help of the Forestry Commission, girls like Theresa and Rose now boast of 10 acres and 5 acres of farms respectively in the degraded Ayum Forest Reserve. They are combine cropping greens and plantains with timber. The method for this intervention is often called the Modified Taungya System (MTS), the place the undertaking staff helps the farmers to get access to degraded forest reserve land for the planting of food crops and financial timber like Mahogany (Khaya ivorensis), Onyina (Ceiba pentandra), Ofram (Terminalia superba), Cedrela (Cedrala odorata), Mansonia (Mansonia altissima) and Emire (Terminalia ivorensis).
For the girls, the alternative to have access to land has improved their supply of livelihood, whiles taking care of the atmosphere.
“I get about 250 plantain bunches from my four-acre farm per harvest season, most of which I sell. I can harvest four times within three years before the plantain trees stop yielding. The trees we plant with the crops also give us shade on the farm,” Vero Asilenu, one of the undertaking beneficiaries acknowledged.
Payment for ecosystem companies
The undertaking has since 2020 been supporting about 270 farmers, together with 155 girls with vegetative elements (plantain and cocoyam suckers), and greens (ginger, onion, tomatoes, and okro). The farmers additionally profit from capability constructing on good agro-forestry practices and are getting rewards for his or her efforts.
“We get food and do small savings with the Village Loans & Savings Scheme that we are members of, and also save with the bank. The thing is that you have helped us so we also have to work hard in order not to disgrace, so we can get more support”, Rose added.
The MTS, which is a legally binding land lease association, permits the farmers to co-own the plantations with the Forestry Commission. They are entitled to the MTS plots until the tree reaches cover peak. The undertaking is additionally in the course of of paying the farmers to incentivize them, by way of a results-based method, primarily based on survival charges of timber planted, to allow them to make investments in the institution of further MTS plots and assist speed up climate motion.
“We have completed the tree census to estimate the survival rate to facilitate the payment of the ecosystem services, which is performance-based. The data shows that annual payment will range between Ghc200-Ghc5000 per farmer and the plan is to continue this arrangement for six years when trees will have formed canopy”, added Atsu Titiati, the UNDP Project Manager.
Since 2020, the farmers have planted virtually half 1,000,000 financial seedlings, helping to restore about 328 hectares of the degraded Ayum Forest Reserve.
“Our focus is to reduce carbon emissions by restoring degraded forests while also helping to provide an additional source of income for the farmers. We want to upscale the MTS after the successful pilot in the Asunafo-North Municipality and this needs more partnerships”, defined Ayirebi Frimpong, Forest Specialist at UNDP Ghana.
Inclusive pure useful resource administration for all
The race to win the climate combat requires extra partnerships to facilitate the participation of each males and girls in climate motion at all ranges. Trees are very essential in the combat towards climate change as they seize carbon and cut back emissions from the environment.
The story of these girls demonstrates that, once we develop women’s access to productive sources, we will improve food security, livelihood, and cut back carbon emissions. Strengthening women’s access to land will make sure that pure sources administration is inclusive for a sustainable and a extra equal future for all.
