WFP, MoFA launch agroforestry support for farmers
About 10,000 smallholder farmers are set to benefit from a $7 million climate mitigation programme aimed at strengthening their resilience to climate change.
The beneficiaries will be drawn from the Bono, Bono East and Savannah regions.
The project, under phase two of the Changing Lives Transformation Fund (CLTF) Agroforestry Carbon Credit Programme, is being implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP) in partnership with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).
It seeks to build resilient livelihoods, strengthen food systems and create long-term economic opportunities for farmers.
More than 7,000 additional farmers will receive climate-resilient tree crop seedlings, bringing the total number of direct beneficiaries to about 10,000. In all, over three million mango, cashew and moringa seedlings are being distributed.
At a ceremony to hand over improved planting materials at Nkoranza yesterday, the Deputy Country Director of WFP, Ms Anitha Narahari, said the programme would impact about 15,000 farmers.
She explained that while 10,000 farmers would directly receive seedlings, 5,000 others would serve as a control group to support evidence generation and assess the impact of agroforestry on livelihoods and productivity.
Ms Narahari noted that the programme was designed to support farmers, particularly maize farmers, who remained highly vulnerable to climate shocks, erratic rainfall and declining soil fertility.
“Through this agroforestry intervention, we are helping farming households diversify their livelihoods, improve resilience, restore degraded lands and create new pathways for income generation,” she said.
She added that the initiative would also position farmers to benefit from carbon credit opportunities linked to the carbon sequestration potential of the trees.
Within the next three years, she said, farmers were expected to start earning revenue from carbon credits, creating an additional income stream for rural households.
Ms Narahari expressed gratitude to MoFA and the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) for their technical support.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Eric Opoku, commended the WFP for its continued support, describing it as a reliable partner in efforts to improve food security and promote sustainable agriculture.
He said the provision of improved seedlings was an investment in farmers, families and climate resilience.
The Krontihene of the Nkoranza Traditional Council, Nana Kwasi Agyei III, urged beneficiaries to ensure the successful implementation of the project.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, NKORANZA
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