The purpose was to enable the delegation to acquire at first-hand the successes of the EU-funded Landscapes and Environmental Agility across the Nation (LEAN) since its implementation as well as lessons learnt in the course of the execution of the project.

Additionally, it was an opportunity for the beneficiaries of the project to share their views about the project and how it had led to the restoration of the environment and the transformation of the lives of the beneficiaries.

Project

LEAN is a four-year $5-million project funded by the EU’s flagship GCCA+ initiative that aims to conserve biodiversity, build climate resilience and reduce emissions from land use changes in the savannah, high forest, and transition zones of Ghana while helping local farmers to improve their livelihoods.

It is being implemented by a consortium led by Rainforest Alliance which is implementing it in the High Forest Zone; EcoCare Ghana and Tropenbos, both of whom are undertaking it in the Transition Zone, and World Vision Ghana which is implementing it in the savannah landscape.

Speaking to the media, the LEAN Project Manager, World Vision Ghana, Joseph Edwin Yelkabong, said the visit was to confirm what had been implemented in the beneficiary communities in the district.

He noted that the visit was very necessary as it provided the opportunity for members of the consortium and other stakeholders to come to terms with the deliverables for the purpose of cross-learning.

Mr Yelkabong expressed excitement about what had been achieved so far, especially support to vulnerable families that would obviously trickle down to improve the lives of especially children in the beneficiary communities.

While indicating that the project sought to contribute to national efforts of biodiversity conservation and reduce emissions from land use, he said: “We are working assiduously in this regard to improve the lives of smallholder farmers and sustain the environment”.

Work done

The Consortium Lead, LEAN Project, Abena Dufie Woode, stated that the project had done very well since its inception and that two landscape management boards in the savannah landscape had been set up.

Additionally, she mentioned that eight tree seedling nurseries with a minimum capacity of 10,000 trees had been prepared and that so far, 700,000 seedlings, made up of both native and exotic species, had been distributed for the purpose of land restoration.

Further, Ms Woode said the livelihood improvement component of the project led to the training of 500 beneficiaries in bee keeping, aquaculture and small ruminants rearing, among others, out of which two-thirds had been provided with start-up kits to do business.