World Vision Ghana has organized an exchange learning visit for lead farmers and fire volunteers from the Paga and Chiana Area Councils in the Kassena-Nankana West District to the Yameriga community in the Talensi District to expose them to successful land restoration practices under the Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) concept.
The visit brought together 30 lead farmers and 30 fire volunteers selected from ten communities—five each from the Paga and Chiana Area Councils—to learn firsthand how Yameriga transformed degraded lands into a thriving forest landscape through community-led restoration efforts.
Speaking during the visit, the Project Manager for FMNR at World Vision Ghana, Samuel Abasiba, said the learning tour was aimed at helping newly enrolled communities appreciate the benefits of FMNR and replicate the success story of Yameriga.
“The project started in 2009, and today we are in the Yameriga community to see what we did some years back. We are here with the new FMNR lead farmers and fire volunteers from the Chiana and Paga Area Councils to come and see the FMNR project where we started in 2009,” he said.
Mr. Abasiba explained that Yameriga has become a model community for ecological restoration and a learning centre for organizations and development partners interested in restoring degraded landscapes.
“If you look behind me, you can see the forest, which is so beautiful. The area was dry with a few sparse trees, but with the FMNR concept that the farmers accepted and adopted, they have been able to create this forest within a span of about 10 years,” he noted.
According to him, the restored forest now covers more than 250 hectares and serves as evidence of what communities can achieve through commitment and proper environmental stewardship.
Mr. Abasiba said the expectation is that the participating communities would replicate the model by restoring at least 100 hectares of degraded land each under the FMNR for Sustainable Economic Empowerment and Development (FMNR-SEED) project.
“It is expected that after seeing what their colleagues have been able to do, they will go back and mobilize themselves to restore at least 100 hectares of degraded lands in their communities,” he stated.
Yameriga FMNR Focal Person, Bantang Samuel Sapagbil, recounted the community’s journey towards restoring the degraded landscape, saying residents collectively enforced measures against indiscriminate tree cutting and bush burning.
“When we started here, the trees were not there, and there was no grass. People used to cut and burn everything. We went around the community educating people that there should be no cutting and no burning,” he recalled.
Mr. Sapagbil noted that the restored landscape has significantly improved livelihoods, particularly for women who previously travelled long distances in search of firewood.
“Some years ago, women were going far away looking for firewood. It was difficult. They would carry heavy loads on their heads, and sometimes thieves would steal from them. But now everything is within the community. Women can go into the forest, collect firewood, and return home to cook,” he explained.
He also praised World Vision Ghana for supporting the community with other development interventions, including boreholes and livelihood programmes.
Lead farmer from Derenia community in the Kassena-Nankana West District, Abigail Tiguridani, described the visit as eye-opening and said the experience had strengthened her determination to transform degraded lands in her community.
“They brought us all the way from Chiana to this place, and when we came, we learned so many things on their farm. We saw different kinds of fruits on their farm, which we do not yet have in our place because we are just starting,” she said.
Despite the differences, she expressed confidence that her community could achieve similar success in the near future.
The Assembly Member for the Abimnia, Derenia, and Wekogasong Electoral Area, Lambert Kuboga Kuzigiyem, commended World Vision Ghana for introducing the FMNR-SEED project to his communities.
“World Vision came to our communities and selected about 60 members from each community—30 lead farmers and 30 fire volunteers. They are doing a lot for the community by educating us on the importance of trees and how to take care of small trees until they grow into full trees,” he said.
He indicated that the project was already yielding positive results, particularly in preventing bushfires and promoting sustainable farming practices.
“Before, people would just set fire and burn everything. Many tree species were getting extinct. But with the education they have given us, we have seen a lot of trees coming up. This year, most of our farms were protected from bushfires because we created fire belts and pruned the trees,” he noted.
Mr. Kuzigiyem said the visit to Yameriga had inspired participants to work harder towards restoring degraded lands in their communities.
The FMNR project is being implemented by World Vision Ghana with funding support from an individual donor through World Vision Germany. The initiative seeks to restore degraded landscapes, improve climate resilience, enhance biodiversity, and strengthen livelihoods through community-led natural regeneration practices.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Yameriga
