CREATE SPECIAL CORRIDORS FOR HERDSMEN

(Daily Graphic, Jan 13, 2012, back page)

THE Northern Cereal Growers, Processors and Marketers Association has appealed to the government to create special corridors and entry points for use by Fulani herdsmen and their cattle.

The group, which comprises farmers and dealers of rice, maize, millet and other cereal crops, noted that such a move would help bring a stop to the current situation where the herdsmen operate haphazardly and dangerously, sometimes causing damage to farms, water bodies and other vegetated areas.

According to a press statement, signed by the Chairman of the association, Mr Abdul-Rahaman Alhassan, the group undertook a study to ascertain how the activities of Fulani herdsmen were impacting on the northern cereal industry.

The study, which was sponsored by the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund, was aimed at forming the basis for an advocacy action to address the menace of Fulani herdsmen.

The research, as contained in the statement, found that the cereal industry served as a source of livelihood for over 60 per cent of farmers in the Northern Region and was dominated by males.

It revealed that over 50 per cent of the cereal farmers did not have any form of relationship with the herdsmen and most of them had experienced some form of destruction on their farms by animals shepherded by the herdsmen.

“However, 42 per cent of the livestock farmers and traders admitted that they have a cordial relationship with the Fulani herdsmen because they supply them with healthy and relatively cheaper animals,” the statement read.

The study also found that apart from failing to control their cattle from causing destruction to maize, rice, millet and guinea corn farms, the Fulani herdsmen also engage in cattle rustling, bush burning and illicit cutting of trees.

It said the herdsmen were also a threat to the environment because their animals engage in over-grazing and the compacting of lands leading to erosion.

According to the study, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocol on Free Movement of Goods and People hindered the strict enforcement of the immigration law because authorities tread cautiously when dealing with Fulani herdsmen.

It concluded that the Regional Security Council lacked the necessary personnel and logistics to regulate the influx of Fulani herdsmen who use unapproved routes to enter the country.

In addition to creating corridors, the group also suggested the establishment of camps to check the activities of Fulani herdsmen and the registration of Fulani herdsmen.

WEST MAMPRUSI ASSEMBLY FORMS FIRE VOLUNTEER SQUAD

(Daily Graphic, Jan 12, 2012, page 20)

THE West Mamprusi District Assembly has constituted an eighty-member fire volunteer squad to check bush fires that are threatening to ravage farms and vegetations in Mishio and Zua, two farming communities in the district.

Each year, during the dry season, fires are set to vegetations, mostly by hunters who are in pursuit of rodents. In the process, these fires cause damage to farms and large plantations, thereby resulting in a huge loss to the farmers.

The formation of fire control volunteer squads is therefore intended to address the menace of bush fires as these volunteers have been tasked to police the area to ensure non-burning and also put a stop to fires that have already been started.

With technical support from the Ghana National Fire Service, the volunteers underwent a six-day training programme in wildfire control, including practical lessons, such as the creation of fire belts and military drilling exercise in response to fire outbreaks.

They were later presented with fire fighting equipment namely Wellington boots, protective clothing, cutlasses and hand gloves.

The institution of the fire volunteer squad forms part of the implementation of a project intended to mitigate the effects of climate change in parts of the West Mamprusi district.

The project, christened ‘Fighting climate change through reforestation’, is being funded by the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), a German-based foundation and implemented in partnership with the assembly.

At the end of the training programme, the Co-ordinator of the project, Mr Issifu Sulemana said the fire volunteer squad would seek to protect the area from any fires, adding that it would be senseless to plant trees and allow fires to destroy them.

He noted that preventing bush fires is everyone’s business and therefore urged the entire community to join hands with the eighty volunteers to control bushfires in their communities.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for West Mamprusi, Mr Adam Yussif cautioned the inhabitants of the two communities not to start any fires to the bushes because we are in the peak of the dry season and therefore any fire could get out of hand and cause damage to farms.

He urged the fire volunteers to use the knowledge, skills and the equipment acquired to manage and adequately control wild fires in their various communities.

The DCE also entreated the two communities not to farm close to the banks of the Volta River, but to endeavour to pay attention to the trees planted along their part of the Volta River banks in order to give it maximum protection since their livelihoods were directly connected to the river.

The chief of Zua, Zua-Naa thanked the assembly, the HSF and their partners for their immense support to the two communities and reiterated their commitment in ensuring that bush fires are actually controlled in their various communities.

SAVE FOREST RESERVES IN NORTHERN REGION

(Daily Graphic, Jan 9, 2012, page 20)

THE importance of forests to human life cannot be overemphasized. According to agric scientists, forests, apart from conserving nature, are a source of life.

They purify the air that we breathe, serve as habitat for the animals that we feed on, and preserve climatic temperatures to protect our bodies. In Africa, in particular, forests are the main source of herbs and many of the food we eat.

Experts have also noted that forests play a crucial role in helping mitigate the impact of climate change on humans.

Some illegally-sawn timber that were recently seized in Saboba

According to the Director of the United Nations (UN) Forum on Forests Secretariat, Mr Pekka Patosaary, forests can act as a ‘sink’ to absorb greenhouse emissions and store large quantities of carbon for extended periods of time.

No wonder the developed world is now committing itself to invest in afforestation projects in Africa under the United Nations’ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) initiative.

One is therefore at a lost why forests in the Northern Region of Ghana are being depleted at such an alarming rate, in spite of how essential they are to the livelihoods of the people in the region.

Checks at the Forestry Commission indicate that there are 24 forest reserves in the Northern Region.

The region even boasts of having the largest forest reserve in Ghana, the Yakombo Forest Reserve, near Buipe, which occupies an estimated land area of 1,160km².

Each year, more trees are planted in various parts of the region so as to create new or replenish existing woodlots and forest plantations.

Currently, the Forestry Services Department (FSD) of the Forestry Commission is establishing large acres of forest plantations in various parts of the region through the National Forest Plantation Development Programme.

During a recent visit to the Northern Region by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Forestry, the Northern Regional Forestry Manager, Mr Ebenezer Djaney Djagbletey, revealed that the region had exceeded its targets for the plantation programme.

“A total area of 3,309 hectares had been planted by the end of December, 2010, which is far higher than the 2000 hectares target that had been set,” he told the committee.

He said in Yendi alone, a total area of 1,126 hectares was planted in off-reserve areas and 200 hectares in existing forest reserves.

In Tamale, a total area of 462 hectares was planted in off-reserve areas, whiles 70 hectares of areas located within forest reserves had been planted.

In spite of all these glamorous statistics about the establishment of large acres of forest plantations, the question to ask is “how many of these trees would survive?”

How many would become prey to the painful blade of chain-saw operators and how many would crumble when the dry season fires start?

Statistics from the EPA paint a gloomy picture about the depletion of forest resources in the Northern Region.

According to the EPA, the region loses 38, 000 hectares of its tree cover every year due to activities such as indiscriminate bush burning, deforestation, use of chemicals in fishing, over grazing by livestock and illegal commercial logging.

Just recently, the FSD intercepted large quantities of illegally sawn rosewood, which had been felled from forest plantations in the Saboba district.

Due to the depletion of forests and the vegetation, some parts of the region are being reduced to desert-like conditions and this has caused a reduction in food and water resources and also increased the intensity and duration of droughts and disasters in the north.

It is sad to note that many community folk do not seem to know about the harm they cause to the environment and future generations when they run down forest resources.

The extent to which they cut down trees for firewood and to make space for farming and settlements exposes the region to desertification.

Unfortunately, forest conservation issues do not receive adequate attention from local government authorities and politicians in the region.

Under the noses of District Chief Executives, Members of Parliament, Co-ordinating Directors and traditional rulers, forests are destroyed and no one seems to border.

It is high time that the nation’s leaders and the entire populace were reoriented on the importance of forests and the need to conserve them.

Politicians, chiefs and opinion leaders in the region must stand up now to protect the region’s forests and not wait for calamity to befall us.

HUNDREDS QUEUE TO USE TOILET IN KOBLIMAHAGU ...On World toilet day

(Daily Graphic, Nov 23, 2011, Page 19)

HUNDREDS of residents of Koblimahagu and its surroundings in the Tamale metropolis last Saturday formed long queues in their attempt to access the only toilet in the area, which was actually constructed to serve school children in a nearby school.

Children queue to use their school toilet in Koblimahagu

This symbolic act by the residents sought to bring the attention of duty bearers to the lack of sanitary facilities in the Koblimahagu vicinity, which has resulted in the practice of open defecation, a situation that has dire consequences on the health of the people.

Two non-governmental organisations, WaterAid and New Energy, partnered to organise the event in line with activities to mark the World Toilet Day, which is held annually to remind world leaders that millions of people still lack access to improved sanitary facilities.

Koblimahagu is one of Tamale’s suburbs located in the south of the city, about 2000 miles from the city centre. It is estimated that more than 5000 people live in the area.

Whiles some of the residents rely on a six-seat toilet facility constructed for an Islamic School in the area, others use a public toilet that is located close to Kukuo, a neighbouring community.

However, over 70 per cent of the residents resort to the use of bushes, uncompleted buildings and polythene bags when responding to nature’s call.

Aside from these, water facilities in the area are woefully deficient, access roads remain in a deplorable condition and there is no electricity in about 90 per cent of the community.

The assembly man for the Koblimahagu electoral area, Mr Iddrisu Mustapha told the Daily Graphic that the lack of sanitation facilities had been a major problem in the community.

He said he and other stakeholders had engaged the assembly on a number of occasions to address this issue, but nothing concrete has yet been realised.

Mr Iddrisu said apart from sanitation problems, Koblimahagu and its surroundings were in a myriad of problems, including the unavailability of electricity, lack of access roads and the lack of potable water.

“We contributed some money to buy pipelines and provided labour to help the Ghana Water Company Limited to lay these pipes, but it is still inadequate,” he stated.

He said the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP) had given indications it would further extend the pipelines by 200 metres.

In an interview, the Chief Executive Officer of New Energy, Mr Thomas Sayibu Imoro said the celebration of the World Toilet Day at Koblimahagu was aimed at drawing the attention of the assembly and other stakeholders to the sanitation challenges facing peri-urban and rural areas in the Tamale metropolis.

He however noted that although the focus was on toilets, New Energy with support from WaterAid, was advocating the provision of potable water facilities to communities that had no access to clean water.

He said this was part of the ‘Water works campaign’, which seeks to advocate increased and sustained financing for Water and Sanitation.

“Certainly, we cannot ensure sanitation and personal hygiene without water. The absence of water creates a sanitation mess, because there would not be water for hand-washing or for domestic use,” he stated.

CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECT BEGINS IN WEST MAMPRUSI

(Daily Graphic, Nov 23, 2011, Page 22)

THE implementation of a project intended to mitigate the effects of climate change in parts of the West Mamprusi district of the Northern Region has kick-started.

The project, christened ‘Fighting climate change through reforestation’, would attempt to restore the vegetative cover protecting parts of the Volta River Basin through reforestation activities in the Zuoh and Mishio areas.

The implementation of the project would span a period of nine months on a pilot basis, beginning from October, 2011 and would be extended to other communities along the White Volta River when successful.

The Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), a German-based foundation, and the West Mamprusi District Assembly have partnered to implement the project.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the HSF and the assembly at a short ceremony that was witnessed by other stakeholders, including the Forestry Services Division, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Zasilari Ecological Farms Project.

The Project Co-ordinator, Mr Issifu Sulemana told the Daily Graphic that under the project, the HSF was expected to provide financial, logistical and institutional support for the implementation of the project, whiles the district assembly and other decentralised departments would provide administrative and other technical support.

“We expect the two beneficiary communities to provide land, labour and other necessary assistance to ensure smooth take off and completion of the project,” he stated.

Mr Sulemana mentioned that the two communities selected for the project, Zuah and Mishio, were relatively small farming and fishing communities, where the impact of climate change could be more severe due to the destruction of tree vegetation in those areas.

“The continual depletion of tree vegetation has affected rainfall and soil moisture necessary to support crop growth. The once thick tree vegetation fringing the rivers and serving as a home for the fauna and some flora is no more. Flood waters now spread wildly and the effects are very enormous,” he noted.

He entreated the community folk to endeavour to own the project and lead its implementation so as to reap the expected benefits.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for West Mamprusi, Mr Issifu Adam lauded the initiators of the project, noting that many communities in the district stood the risk of being devastated by the effects of climate change.

He said the district was battling with several environmental challenges such as bush fires, over grazing, drying of water bodies and deforestation.

“The district assembly would monitor closely the implementation of this project and so I entreat all other partners to do their part,” he stated.

The Director of HSF for West Africa, Mr Ralf Wittek reiterated the commitment of his organisation to help marginalised and vulnerable communities to cope with the effects of climate change.

He reminded the implementing partners that they must work to ensure the success of the project because it was the German tax payer’s money which was being committed to help poor indigenes in Africa.

GATES FOUNDATION SUPPORTS NORTHERN FARMERS

(Daily Graphic, Nov 10, 2011, Page 23)

THE Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is funding a new agricultural initiative that seeks to improve the wellbeing of low income and smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Under the initiative, known as N2Africa, farmers are provided with high quality inoculants used to boost the yield of leguminous crops and enrich the soil.

This initiative forms part of a scientific research project that seeks to test the viability of increasing the Nitrogen level in soils through a process known as Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF).

In Ghana, the N2Africa project is being implemented in seven districts of the Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions and over 10,000 farmers are expected to benefit from it.

As part of the project’s implementation, UrbANET, a network of farmer-based organisations, has engaged about 2500 smallholder farmers and has established 60 demonstration farms in the Karaga and Savelugu/Nanton districts of the Northern Region.

During a visit to one the demonstration farms in Karaga, the Programmes Officer of UrbANET, Mr Jibril Mohammed Basit told the Daily Graphic that the farmers were receiving training in how to apply the inoculants for excellent results.

He said in order to ensure that the technology was well disseminated, UrbANET had organised exchange visits for the farmers to various demonstration farms so they could share and learn best practices.

Mr Basit explained that the focus of the N2Africa project was to explore how to use grain legumes as an engine to revitalize productivity of cropping systems.

He said the research was been spearheaded by the Plant Production Systems of the Wageningen University in the Netherlands through a grant provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mr Basit noted that the application of inoculants leads to an increase in the yield of legumes, like soybeans, groundnuts and cowpea, whiles also increasing soil fertility.

He said the application of the inoculants was less expensive and more sustainable as compared to the use of chemical fertilizer.

He said although the farmers were currently getting the inoculants for free due to the project, the inoculants might be introduced to the market at a reasonable cost after the successful completion of the project.

Mr Basit noted that apart from introducing this new technology to the farmers, the project was also enhancing the laboratory capacities in all implementing countries.

He said substantial investments in the state-of-the-art facilities were being made to enhance the capacities of agricultural research stations to carry out research in rhizobiology and general soil microbiology.

“In Ghana, the Soil Research Institute has refurbished a laboratory for rhizobiology activities and has taken delivery of other assorted equipment,” he indicated.