GHANA

This project by the Namalteng Integrated Development Programme (NIDEP) is multifaceted. Teak trees are being grown as a cash crop which will provide a good financial return and enable this rural community to complete much needed schools. The programme director of NIDEP is Pius Puzotkpet Tushyin (shown above) who is also chief of the small village of Gbeogo, south east of Bolgatanga. NIDEP is run by a committee of ten or so, including a couple of local government employees, all of whom work as volunteers. Most of the land is used for growing subsistence crops including millet, corn and sorghum. The first part of any tree planting programme is to overcome cultural resistance to tree planting and to teach the ecological importance of trees. The community is then asked to donate about 2 ha. The community will then plant the seeds and seedlings provided by NIDEP.

Most of the plantations are either Casuara Albesia or Teak. Casuara Albesia is an evergreen that is used for firewood, timber construction and whose leaves are used for fodder. It is normally planted at density of 1,500 trees per hectare.
The teak trees are pruned to grow straight so that they can be sold for use as electricity or telegraph poles. A ten year old pole usually fetches about £80. NIDEP is also promoting the planting of Cashew, Mango, Guava, Papaya (Pawpaw), Dowadowa (local tree whose fruits are turned into a food seasoning) and Shea (another local tree used for making 'shea butter', a sort of solid vegetable oil). NIDEP also promotes tree planting in schools. Children are allocated a tree each and given prizes or points if their tree does well. There are several motivations for this: getting children into tree planting at an early age, providing shade around schools, and, later, giving the school an income when the fruits or trees are harvested. The children are also being encouraged to start vegetable gardens.
Further information about NIDEP can be found on the web site of Marios Cleovoulou.

PATIA has supported other organisations in Ghana with their tree planting activities.

The Atuba-Agumishe Community Livestock and Crop Farmers Association has two nurseries and two plantations in the Atuba-Agumishe area, one of three acres and the other of five acres. Teak, Neem, Cassia Albesia and Mango are among the species planted. These plots are community land and the women that plant and take care of the trees work voluntarily on the understanding that they will reap the benefits.
Many thousands of seedlings from the nurseries have been given out to schools, community groups and to individual association members who are required to plant 15 trees each year on their own land.
The director and founder is Guy Williams Mbilla who has been planting trees since he was a child.

The following comments by Marios reflect the the reasons why PATIA was formed and why it seeks to support tree planting through grants to local non-government organisations and community groups:

The big achievement will be when developing nations no longer need the help of the western world. On a less grandiose scale, success on individual projects occurs when the white man can in good conscience walk away with his wallet in his pocket and leave the locals to get on with it.
I was pleased that most of the projects I visited, in particular the tree planting projects, are also of this view. None were looking for outright charity, instead seeking a 'leg up' that will enable them to help themselves in a sustainable way in order to be free of the need to beg from anybody.

It was not only the directors of the organisations that expressed this view. The people they are working to help also expressed this desire. Sometimes directly by saying they didn't want their children to be 'beggars to the white man', others indirectly by requests for access to capital for loans to start small businesses, or by talking about how the income from trees will allow them to educate their children.

It was refreshing to find people willing to help themselves and making whatever efforts that are within their means to do so.

PROGRESS REPORT ON A GRANT DONATED BY PATIA IN MARCH 2010

A grant of GH¢1,214.33 (one thousands pound sterling) was donated to the Atuba Co-operative Farmers Association by Plant A Tree in Africa, UK in March 2010 for construction of a tree nursery to enable the association continue with its tree growing programme.

ACTIVITIES:
The project activities were composed of the following:
Procurement of cement
Chain link wire
Wood preserver
Procurement of wooden poles. Some of the poles were donated by the community itself.

LABOUR:
Well excavation: was by hired labour, since it required some skill.
Well lining: by hired labour.
Manufacturing of lid to cover the well: by hired labour.
Digging of holes for wooden poles and treating them: by community.
Erection of poles and wire fencing: by hired men.
Sand and stones supplied: by the Association members.
After all these activities the Association started preparation of the seeds, but unfortunately the grant arrived when the period for nursing seed was a bit late. Therefore all we could do was to nurse some mango seeds, which we intend grafting for the next planting season. We also nursed some other species like albizia (330) neem (412) and teak which did not do well (only 210 germinated). This failure did not prevent us from planting trees on our tree farm this year. The Forestry Department supplied 3,500 teak seedlings which was sufficient for 3 acres of land for this 2010. Therefore a total of about 4,452 seedlings were planted on the association's tree farm this year.
The government has this year initiated a programme called "GREEN GHANA ". This project is aimed at combating the serious threat of the desertification facing the country. In this programme every community is tasked to undertake a community tree planting, except communities who have no land. Under the programme the government provides incentives to the communities concerned to enable them to manage these farms. We are happy to inform you that the Atuba area is the only area that has very large land in the District and hence our Association was chosen to be responsible for that project in the Atuba area, because of our long time experience in tree planting. An area of land of about 50 hectares has been acquired for this purpose and we were able to plant teak seedlings covering an area of 8 hectares of the land from the period of June-August 2010 as that period was the best time for transplanting trees.

The Association shall in the 2011 season start its tree nursing as early as November to ensure a good germination. Enough varieties of seedling shall be nursed for our own use and to supply some to the general public. Schools will also be given free seedlings for planting on their schools plots.

Submitted By Guy Williams Mbilla

Date: 25th. November, 2010

 

Krobo Community Afforestation Project
PATIA made several small grants between 2006 and 2008 to support the tree planting activities of this NGO. Most of the tree planting and nurseries were located along the banks of the Sawsaw and Tano rivers the Techiman district of Ghana. The trees grown were used for afforestation, erosion control and to provide wind breaks in towns and villages. The species planted were mahogany, odum cassia, emire and ofram, paopao and ciderella. The project started in April 2006. The project was extended in 2008 and further planted species included mangoes, cashew (nut), avacado pear, oil palm, moringa, leucaena and gliricidia. West African locust bean was also combined with the tree planting. Overall about 1 mil trees have been raised.

Training in the production of cream, soap, ointment and shampoo from the leaves of the moringa tree.
The powder from the leaves can be used as a food supplement.

Above: Moringa leaf soap cat into small blocks

Right: Pesticide made from neem tree leaves. PROCESS

The process of using wood sawdust compost for growing mushrooms being demonstrated for a group of Peace Corp visitors from the USA.

Neem products - insecticide, shampoo,
soap