Restoration of productive landscapes through management of trees on-farms in the off reserve landscape through tree registration and climate smart farming systems in Ghana

Nassah, V.F., Odame, R. G., Kwanin, E.

Restoration of productive landscapes through management of trees on-farms in the off reserve landscape through tree registration and climate smart farming systems in Ghana

XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022

Year of publication 2022

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 8p.

Author Nassah, V.F., Odame, R. G., Kwanin, E.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Article

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) Ghana has a total land area of 238,540 km2 and approximately 15% of the country has been set aside as forest reserves, wildlife parks, and the remaining 85% is owned by stools, skins and individuals across the country. All naturally occurring trees in off reserve landscapes are vested in the state but they occur in individual and community lands and farms. Most of Ghana’s agricultural system embraces the retention of trees during the course of cultivation with trees integrated in a mixture with crops. In the past, farmers destroyed these trees because their cocoa farms were destroyed by felling of trees for timber and they could not get compensation or any support from the state. To achieve Ghana’s Forest policy goals and objectives of the forest Plantation strategy, Ghana is piloting a programme to provide legal support for farmers, optimize the productivity and sustainability of smallholder farming systems by developing appropriate technologies that involve trees (incorporation of trees-on farm within 3.75 million hectares) and enhances connectivity and biodiversity between the agricultural and forest landscapes. A pilot programme to register all planted and naturally occurring trees at the district level has begun with recent support from Climate Investment Fund through Ghana’s Forest investment programme (GFIP) to provide options for tree tenure regimes, tree ownership and benefit sharing mechanisms for farmers to plant more trees. This paper highlights the importance of trees on farm for landscape restoration, legal framework and the procedures for tree registration, identified strengths and weaknesses and potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as sustained reduction in degradation and deforestation whilst increasing productivity per hectare for farmers. Keywords: Landscape management, Deforestation and forest degradation, Climate change, Agriculture, Sustainable forest management ID: 3624089

Language English

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