2082019 TREEFARMS project The consortium & associated partners - PDF document

20‐8‐2019 TREEFARMS project The consortium & associated partners Presentation results 2016 ‐ 2019 Funding Dissemination workshop, Kumasi Applied 29 April 2019 Research Fund Objective • To enhance food and income security of MTS farmers and tree Recap of the project farmers in off‐reserve areas after canopy closure. • Problem: Tree farmers in degraded forest areas abandon their tree plots after canopy closure Specific objective • Solution: Shade tolerant food crops (NTFPs) may enhance income and food security • To generate knowledge and build capacity that enables the • Question: How can these products be integration and production of shade‐tolerant NTFPs (black successfully harvested, processed and pepper, grains of paradise and honey) in on‐ and off‐reserve marketed? tree farms and their successful processing and marketing. Policy relevance Focus on three NTFPs 2012 Forest and Wildlife Policy Strategic Direction 1.4: Sustainably manage and develop commercial wood fuel supplies and other NTFs on both on and off reserve • Promote research and development programmes for commercially viable NTFPs Ghana National Plantation strategy (2016 ‐2040) 3.1.1 Strategic Objective 1: Establishment and management of planted forests Grains of paradise ( Aframomum melegueta) • Black pepper ( Piper guienense) Promote the development of NTFPs (i.e. spices, essential oils, apiculture etc.) within forest plantations to provide additional short‐ and medium term income Bee keeping 3.1.3 Strategic Objective 3: Employment creation and sustainable livelihoods • Growing of shade‐loving non‐ timber forest products (NTFPs) under plantations after canopy closure; bee‐keeping and cultivation of food crops under taungya schemes as well as timber harvesting and processing. Ministry of Food and Agriculture Medium Term Agricultural Sector Investment Plan (METASIP) II 2014 – 2017 • To promote (…) thriving agribusiness (…) for improved food security, nutrition and incomes. 1

20‐8‐2019 SWOT analysis entrepreneurship Who are the NTFP farmers? Strengths Weaknesses • 60% female • Land for cultivation of GoP and BP • Risks of wildfire • Close by communities • Low prices • 90% older than 40 yrs. • Favourable conditions o no storage facilities o fertile soils o poor packaging • 85% no formal education or middle school o trees to support GoP and BP o low quantities • Based on General Entrepreneurial Tendency (GET) test: • High level of interest: multiple uses • Limited willingness to expand for Survival Marketing greater bulk 0% high, 80% medium, 20% low entrepreneurial skills entrepreneurs • Low education External factors • Survival entrepreneurs (trade to make a living but do not Opportunities Threats aspire to expand) • Capacity building by RUDEYA & RMSC • Lack of info on markets • Trees to support GoP and BP • Poor road network / access to markets • Potential for local marketing • Pest & diseases • Free supply of seedlings (FC) • Lack of info on sustainable forest mgt. • Cross‐farm visits & peer‐to‐peer learning • Illegal activities in the forest • Group formation and joint learning • Delayed supply of seedlings (low survival Support Support rate in dry season) • Time needed for GoP and BP to mature Source: Mensah 2018 Source: Mensah 2018 Major constraints indicated by farmers No follow‐up after Information • Pre‐production constraints plantation establishment through ToT is not o Inadequate extension transferred o Low priority of these products in national programmes and plans o Poor access to credit/finances What have we done? Should be • Production constraints provided in the rainy season o High labour costs o Inadequate inputs (seeds/seedlings, Wellington boots) • Post‐harvest constraints There might be o Low prices paid to farmers markets, but not o Packaging and transportation profitable? o Lack of postharvest handling and storage Source: Mensah 2018; ASNAPP 2016 Botanical inventory in 3 communities; burnt and Baseline survey among 147 farmers January 2016 unburnt plots; open and closed canopy (12 blocks) 2

20‐8‐2019 Organising inception workshop for 51 Organising focus groups with 15 male and 17 participants from FC, MOFA, MLNR, KNUST, female farmers to discuss NTFP production CSIR –FORIG and SRI, Tropenbos, ASNAPP, on‐ and off‐reserve NBSSI and consortium partners in April 2016 Organising proposal and thesis writeshops for Fieldwork by 7 Mphil students 20 Mphil students & other staff of partner organisations = capacity building staff partner organisations Organising study tours and cross‐farm visits for 30 farmers Establishing 3 NTFP nurseries, incl. equipment and 1500 poly bags Black pepper Grains of paradise Poly bags 3

20‐8‐2019 Strengthening NTFP groups in 3 communities Training 22 farmers in photo monitoring, seedling production and entrepreneurial skills (ToT) Mankranso Nyamebekyere Akwaburaso Goaso Organising community of practice meetings for 60 Communicating results participants https://treefarms.wordpress.com/ Organising learning platform for 121 participants from communities, FSD, MOFA and consortium partners What do we know now? 4

20‐8‐2019 Black pepper ( Piper guineense ) Grains of paradise ( Aframomum melegueta ) • Does well in the MTS • Black pepper does moderately well in the MTS; needs some • Thrives well in cocoa and oil palm farms and fallows sunlight • Highest yields reported in land uses with lower light • Seeds may fall overnight; special harvesting techniques required intensities (cocoa fields and fallows) (polythene or cloth) • However growing it in cocoa farms is not recommended • Further research needed (insect pests) • Appreciated in household use as spice and medicinal uses Shade‐loving food crops Bee‐keeping • 18 extra experimental plots established in Akwabraso and Nyamebekyere • Technically and economically feasible in the MTS No.3 with shade‐loving food crops (ginger, cocoyam and wild yam) to monitor • growth under different spacing and light intensities, in a bid to find more Thrives well under teak ( Tectona grandis ) and ofram ( Terminalia species that do well in plantations superba ) but not under Cedrella odorata • Pilot suggests that ginger, cocoyam and wild yam (kooase bayere) flourish well • Bees avoid hives made from Cedrella wood under shade • Colonization rates and productivity are highest in beehives made • Of interest for farmers’ food and income security: used in daily diet and ready from teak but also acceptable when ofram is used markets • Honey quality in terms of water content and acidity meet • Further research needed international standards and did not show significant differences between teak and ofram beehives • Beekeeping using these two timber species was also profitable • Occurrence of honey/wax moths needs monitoring • Training and protective clothing needed What did we learn from farmers? Markets: realistic expectations needed • Spacing grains of paradise closer than recommended 3x3m works • Quantities too small for export better (creeps together & fruits earlier) • Products are found in local markets – • Black pepper needs some light so focus on local market opportunities • Raising BP seedlings goes faster by planting seeds than • Prices for farmers are low especially propagation by stem cutting • Black peppercorns may fall on the floor overnight – polythene or during harvesting season; so drying / cloth needed to prevent loss of harvest packaging is important • Don’t integrate GoP in cocoa farms; it attracts insects • Collective marketing could create bulk, • Off‐reserve farmers in Goaso prefer GoP over black pepper but farmers seem to prefer individual • Where shade‐loving NTFPs and food crops flourish there are less marketing wild fires 5