By Tokpa Tarnue- tarnue82@gmail.com
ZORZOR, Liberia- A total of 198 farmers can now boast of knowledge in improved farming methods, after graduating from an eighteen months farmers field School Program in Lofa County.
The Farmers field School Program is the Agricultural Transformation component under the Wonegizi REDD+ Project in Liberia’s northwestern Lofa County and the graduation took place here recently.
The Agricultural Transformation Component is being implemented by the Fauna & Flora International (FFI) in collaboration with the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the Skills and Agriculture Development Services (SADS).
Giving an overview of the Agricultural Transformation Component under the Wonegizi REDD+ Project at the graduation ceremony held in Konia, Zorzor district, the Agriculture Specialist of Fauna & Flora International (FFI) Danny A. Slah indicated that the 198 graduates were selected from the thirteen (13) affected communities around the proposed protected Wonegizi forest area.
He named the affected project communities as (Ziggida, Dorzinelor, I-Mah, Tusu, Bulor, Kargbota, Goyala and Vetesu. Others are Nekerbuzu, Barwen, Barziwen, Lutisu and Madina).
According to him, the 198 farmers were trained in improved farming methods in order to help them increase production and income, while at the same time reducing impact to biodiversity resulting from forest loss.
He said the Farmers Field School program is to help train farmers from the affected communities of the proposed protected Forest on other means of farming to enable them stay out of the forest.
According to him, citizens of these affected communities depends fully on the forest for their survival and as such to keep them out of the forest means they must be provided alternative means of farming for their survival.
“The system of farming being practiced by our people has greatly affected the forest and has also endangered the life of protected spices,” he emphasized.
Mr. Slah disclosed that a total of twenty-four (24) farmers field schools were established in the 13 project communities and trained using the Participatory Technology Development or (PTD) approach.
“Farmers were introduced to the Conservation Agriculture or (CA) method which throughout the FFS program was compared practically with other farming methods,” he noted.
The Liberia Forest Sector project promotes consensus on REDD+ and enables Liberia to deliver on its commitments in order to reduce the impact of climate change by minimizing the loss of forest cover in one of the last remaining areas of tropical forest in West Africa.
Citizens of the affected communities have praised FAUNA and FLORA International (FFI) and the Skills and Agriculture Development Services (SADS) for the training provided them as farmers.
They also pledged their commitment to staying out of the proposed protected forest as a means of conserving the forest.
REDD+ is (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) program is a government of Norway funded project for Liberia.