FAO Direct Beneficiary Grant women in beekeeping to discourage tree felling  

A group of women farmers in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region have received training in beekeeping as part of efforts to promote sustainable livelihoods and protect the environment.

The training was organised under the Direct Beneficiary Grant (DBG) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), through its Forest and Farm Facility (FFF).

According to the Project Lead, Mr. Manfred Vem Nakaar, the project includes the establishment of a nursery for indigenous tree species such as shea and baobab, reclamation and restoration of degraded landscapes, as well as the construction of beehives for the women.

He explained that the beekeeping component was introduced to discourage women from resorting to the cutting of trees for charcoal and firewood, which has become a major source of livelihood for many people in the area, particularly during the off-season.

Mr. Nakaar said the project was in its final stages of implementation and was targeted at a cooperative of women farmers engaged in farming and marketing.

The initiative, being implemented under the theme “Bees Are Partners in Development – Women Beekeepers’ Voice,” is expected to provide the beneficiaries with an alternative source of income while contributing to environmental conservation.

 

Beekeeping can reduce pressure on forests

A consultant and retired lecturer at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Mr. Abubakari Jacob, described the FAO Forest and Farm Facility Direct Beneficiary Grant as timely and crucial to women’s empowerment and environmental protection.

He said poverty in the Savannah Region had compelled some women to depend on charcoal burning and firewood collection for their livelihoods, contributing to deforestation, the destruction of farmlands and the loss of wildlife habitats.

Mr. Jacob commended FAO for directing the beekeeping support to the beneficiaries, describing the intervention as one that had come at the right time and in the right place.

He expressed optimism that income generated from honey production and sales would enable the women to support their families, educate their children and gradually move away from environmentally harmful practices such as charcoal burning and bush burning.

 

Revolving fund model

The Credit Officer for Vision Fund Ghana in the Tuna Area, Mr. Musah Abubakari, said he was invited by the Kantibagado Cooperative Farming and Marketing Association Limited to educate the beneficiaries on loan policies.

He said both Vision Fund Ghana and FAO shared a common objective of empowering women and improving the welfare of children and families.

Mr. Abubakari explained that the beekeeping initiative had been designed as a revolving fund, under which beneficiaries who received beehives and accessories would put them to productive use, sell the honey produced and use part of the proceeds to acquire additional beehives for other members of the cooperative.

 

Beneficiaries express gratitude

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A beneficiary from the Kantibagado Group in Tuna, Dakuri Margaret, expressed appreciation to FAO for the intervention.

She said the project had equipped the women with skills in beekeeping and honey harvesting while creating new opportunities for them to generate income.

“Words cannot explain how grateful we are to them for coming to help us improve upon our livelihood. It has opened our eyes as to how to get income for our families and also how to prevent the disruption of the environment.”

The women say the initiative has given them renewed hope of building sustainable livelihoods while reducing their dependence on charcoal and firewood as sources of income.

Source: ghanawatchonline.com/Salifu Adam Jabu