Farmer protects Ghana forest while boosting income
Cocoa farmer Susana Afrifa Ankrah helps protect forests. She improves her family livelihoods in south-eastern Ghana.
She lives on the Atewa Range hills. Rare creatures like eagle owls and colobus monkeys share space with her cocoa trees and diverse butterfly species there now. The area serves as a vital home for many precious animals and plants that once cloaked the region in greenery.
The Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme trains farmers to conserve soil and trees. They boost yields through organic fertilisers and specially bred hybrid seeds for shade-grown cocoa plants that thrive under canopy cover.
Susana employs seventeen workers in her bakery and daycare nursery. She established these businesses with programme support and practical advice on improved profit margins for her farming community members who need help.
She lists peppers and pawpaw as crops she grows. This initiative enables growers to pursue other eco-friendly tasks like beekeeping and raising pigs to support their families while safeguarding the land they depend on for survival.