IDEGh’s CoBILT Project Empowers 650 Smallholder Farmers to Combat Climate Change in Ghana

The Initiatives for Development and Education Ghana (IDEGh) has successfully concluded the first phase of its Community-led Biodiversity Improvement and Livelihood Transformation (CoBILT) Project, marking a significant milestone in the fight against climate change and deforestation in Ghana’s Central Region. The phase culminated in a stakeholder debriefing workshop held in Ajumako, where over 650 smallholder farmers, primarily cocoa growers, were celebrated for their commitment to sustainable farming practices and biodiversity enhancement.

Launched to address the alarming rates of agriculture-induced deforestation and its impact on climate change, the CoBILT Project is an ambitious three-phase initiative spanning six years. In its first phase, IDEGh mobilized, engaged, and trained farmers from 10 cocoa-growing communities in sustainable farm management and climate-smart agricultural practices. Each farmer was provided with timber tree species to plant on their farms, aligning with the government’s Cocoa and Forest Initiative, which aims to curb cocoa-driven deforestation in the country.

Dr. Jethro Asare Brobbey, co-founder of IDEGh, expressed profound gratitude to all stakeholders, particularly the farmers who embraced the project’s training and community engagement activities. “The knowledge and skills acquired by these farmers are not just for today but for the future,” he remarked, urging them to prepare for the second phase, which promises to build on the successes of the first.

Gertrude Acquah, IDEGh’s Head of Projects, highlighted the comprehensive socioeconomic study conducted during the first phase. The study revealed a troubling decline in agricultural productivity linked to unsustainable farming practices and climate change. “Our approach has been holistic,” she explained. “We have formed restoration crews comprising 650 farmers, each led by a community member, to spearhead biodiversity restoration efforts.”

A total of 9,500 native tree seedlings have been planted by CoBILT Project beneficiaries. The next phase of the CoBILT Project aims to expand its reach, with an additional 850 farmers set to be trained in sustainable farming and biodiversity conservation. By the project’s end, IDEGh anticipates that 250,000 indigenous trees will have been planted across the three target districts, significantly enhancing local ecosystems and improving livelihoods.

Madam Akua Praba Ansah, a restoration crew leader, lauded the initiative, expressing optimism about the long-term benefits of the project. Reflecting on past farming practices, she noted, “There was a time when nature provided us with snails, mushrooms, and honey effortlessly. Today, these resources have become scarce, largely due to harmful agricultural practices. CoBILT offers us a chance to restore what we’ve lost.”

As IDEGh prepares to embark on the next phase of the CoBILT Project, the organization remains committed to its mission of empowering communities, enhancing biodiversity, and ensuring the sustainability of Ghana’s natural resources.