The issue of deforestation and forest degradation (DFD) is a source of worry in Ghana and has become a global concern.
Teak plantation development in Ghana is an integral component of the National Forest Plantation Development Programme, a state-supported programme to conserve forests and sustain timber production for economic development, through refurbishing degraded forests and establishing new ones. Image credit: Alibaba
The rate of DFD in Ghana has been very rapid and occurs not only in the forest reserves but also in farm- and agricultural lands. The rapid DFD of farmlands is largely caused by the challenges farmers face in growing and retaining trees on farmlands. A proposed project is underway to address the concerns of the smallholder farmers growing teak on their farmlands. The purpose is to improve the economic outcomes and livelihood for these smallholders.
The development objective is to promote sustainable, profitable, quality teak plantation development on farmlands thereby curtailing deforestation and degradation of farm- and agricultural lands, expanding timber resource base and improving livelihood. The specific objective is; to increase the economic returns from timber and carbon value to smallholder teak farmers through increase in contribution of these plantations to timber resource base and carbon sequestration/storage from establishment of forest plantations on farmlands
Major outcomes of this project are improved management of the teak plantations; higher quality of the teak produced; better prices for the teak sold; and higher incomes to the communities. The others are farmers’ knowledge on Ghana’s forest policies on farm forest plantation development and marketing increased and ways through which smallholder farm forest plantation activities could be in-cooperated into the climate change policy processes determined. This will enable farmers benefit from international carbon funds in future in order to maintain and expand their teak stands while waiting for the timber revenue at the final harvest.
