Ten women beneficiaries in Ghana’s northern region were selected to promote dry season gardening and tree seedling nurseries in a project implemented by Greening Commodities, a United Nations-based program created to improve the national, economic, social and environmental performance of agricultural commodity sectors. The project was co-funded by Bôhten.
The project, aimed to sustain and expand the livelihoods of community members in Ghana’s Bihinaayili community of the Savelugu Municipal, planted a tree seedling nursery (made of papaya and cashew and to advance dry season gardening).
One thousand papaya seeds and 3,000 cashew seeds were planted and were eventually sold to individuals and the forestry commission. The end result was twofold: the project helped to accelerate Ghana’s economy in addition to aiding in sustainability and environmentally-friendly practices.
Leaders of the project agree that, by and large, the program was a success and can be scaled up to reach more beneficiaries. Moving forward, they are requesting those in the public who would like to help to adhere to the following recommendations and contact them directly to learn more about their initiative.
- The nursery needs to be refurbished with shade nets to control micro climates for optimum seedling germination and development.
- The subsequent project should nurse a larger number of seedlings on demand including cashew, cassia and mahogany which are sought after by government institutions, NGOs and private plantation developers. This could serve as another viable income generation venture for beneficiaries.
- The number of acres under cultivation of leafy vegetables be increased to at least 4 acres in a bid to maximize gains and increase production.
- The subsequent project should make budgetary allocations for the procurement of new water hoses (100 meter x2) as well as the servicing of water pump.