Tree planting is a call to action to saving our forests, human lives and livelihoods

Feed the Future Ghana Policy LINK Activity has taken the Green Ghana initiative a step further by rallying the Jawaani community in the East Mamprusi District of the North East Region to take action towards environmental sustainability.

The action which was in the form of planting tree species such as Mango, Cashew, Cassia, and Tamarind were done alongside commitments from the inhabitants to nurturing the trees and protecting the environment, as part of a natural regeneration for community benefits.

The tree planting activity at Jawaani is the fourth community engagement Policy Link activity had undertaken together with its sister organization; Market Systems and Resilience (MSR) both funded by the USAID, enjoyed the support of PARED a local NGO operating in the area, the Forestry Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as the traditional authorities and community members of Jawaani.

It is a follow up event to the Green Ghana Day in the North East Region which was launched in Nalerigu on Friday June 7, 2024 by the Overlord of Mamprugu.

Speaking at the community event, Senior Regional Manager, Feed the Future Ghana Policy LINK Eric Emmanuel Maasole said the call to action was an urgent one to protecting the environment and to practically save trees from fast depletion.

“The Green Ghana Day is more than just an annual event; it is a call to action. It reminds us of our collective responsibility to protect our forest resources, restore degraded landscapes and promote sustainable practices that protect our environment and combat climate change,” he remarked

According to Mr. Maasole Climate change and variability which are marked by erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, and extreme weather conditions are significantly impacting lives and livelihoods.

“In the past, we were used to certain patterns that have since changed and are still changing, much to our surprise. A few years ago, we knew, when the rains will begin and stop, how often floods and droughts occur, when the harmattan season will begin and end, among others. Now, our very livelihoods are at risk due to these changes.”

He attributed Change in Climate partly to changing lifestyles which are affecting the environment and our collective survival.

“Indiscriminate or unsustainable cutting down of trees, Illegal mining (galamsey), Sand winning in riverbeds, Pollution of water bodies, etc. These actions make the effects of climate change worse, and things will get even worse if we don’t take urgent actions to adopt environmentally sustainable practices and technologies,” he cautioned.

Mr. Maasole said Policy LINK’s objective is to work with local communities and key government actors such as the District Assemblies, EPA, the Forestry Commission among others with the believe that; through concerted actions, the threat of climate change can be collectively tackled.

The East Mamprusi District Director of the Forestry Commission Nasagri Mohamed, who spoke on the Ghana’s Forest Protection Strategy explained that this is part of the country’s commitment to the Bonn (Germany) challenge, where the government of Ghana hopes to restore 625 thousand hectares of degraded lands by the year 2030.

“Another aspect of the Ghana landscape restoration project under the Bonn Challenge is our commitment to plant shea parklands, where communities; largely women, will be supported to plant trees or restore some 200,000 hectares of forests including 100,000 shea parklands.” He stated.

For his part George Adibase, an Assistant Programme Officer at the Environmental Protection Agency in the North East Region called for the protection of water bodies and to practice proper waste disposal as some of the mitigating factors to addressing climate change.

Under adaption; he encouraged the community members whose preoccupation is farming to go for short duration crops, practice crop rotation and zero tillage or rely on compost instead of over reliance on organic fertilizers;. Mr. Adibase also encouraged the locals to build robust houses that can withstand stormy weathers.

The Jawaani Chief, Adam Salifu and the Assembly member for Jawaani Electoral area who actively took part in the tree planting on behalf of the community members commended Policy LINK for leading the initiative and pledge their commitments to ensuring the sustainability of the trees.

Story by Nelson Adanuti Nyadror