Restoration approaches:
- Forest: Direct Planting, Assisted Natural Regeneration, conservation
- Communal land: Direct planting
- Agroforestry
Goals:
- Re-establish the structure, species diversity, and density of the highly degraded 7932 ha Gewocha forest.
- Rehabilitate 1143 ha of degraded open communal land. Once rejuvenated, these areas will become an important source of grass/fodder, fuel-wood, small timber, medicinal plants, recharge of streams and groundwater, and a carbon sink.
- Introduce agroforestry practices on 925 ha of smallholder farmland with around 7900 households.
Discover more on WeForest’s website
Why is intervention needed?
In the Gewocha Forest and its surrounding communities, a lack of proper farm and grazing land management means soil is degrading and land is becoming unproductive. Farmers in the buffer zone are encroaching into the forest to compensate for their losses from crop yields and shortages of animal feed. Trees are cut for fuel and construction wood, and charcoal is produced as a source of income. This forest that supports 14 rural kebeles (villages) will be lost without protection and restoration.
What will the project do?
The forest will be restored with over 9.5 million trees of native species, 60% of them directly planted, 30% regenerated using assisted natural regeneration and 10% conserved. Native large canopy species here include Ficus vasta, Cordia africana, Albizia gummefera, Ficus sur forssk, and Syzigium guineense. A target average tree density of 1200 trees per ha is the goal after 10 years. In the communal lands, 1.2 to 1.6 million seedlings will be grown, aiming at an average density of approximately 1111 trees per ha. On the smallholder farms, 1.9 million seedlings of native and exotic species will be grown with average densities of 2500 shrubs/ha and 625 fruit trees/ha. High-value fruit trees may include mango, avocado, banana and coffee, and Rhamnus prinoides, Sesbania sesban, bamboo and other species for forage and fuel wood will also be planted.
Building community resilience
The long-term success of restoration and the sustainability of the project both rely on the resilience of the 14 local communities living around the forest. To ensure success, the project will address the root causes of degradation - unsustainable agricultural practices, low incomes, and weak forest governance. The title deed for the community forest will be secured by and with the local community, who will be supported by WeForest and THP. To address unsustainable farming, the project will promote improved breeds (hybrids or crossbreeds), fodder conservation and feed production practices such as crop residue improvement with urea treatment to increase nutritional value. To mitigate poverty, it will set up Women Self Help Groups and support them to become Saving and Credit Cooperative Cooperatives; establish a farmers’ cooperative for dairy products; supply micro-irrigation systems to enhance the sustainable production of vegetables, fruits and other important crops; and train 160 farmers as peer educators on modern beekeeping.
Who benefits?
Half of the inhabitants of the Jabi-Tehnan region live below the poverty line, and 43% are chronically malnourished. Women and children are most affected, with 35% of children under five stunted, and 10% severely stunted. Poverty in this region is further exacerbated by landlessness and youth unemployment. Moreover, women remain marginalised and are often excluded from participation in decision-making and in the economy. 7894 farmers and their families in the 14 communities will directly benefit from the Gewocha Forest project, and approximately 42 000 will benefit indirectly. The project will support the communities to develop their own vision, commitments and concrete action plans to a) reduce hunger and poverty, b) improve women’s empowerment and leadership, and c) strengthen self-reliant income generating activities and entrepreneurship.