The search for fertile land and better climate for agricultural production has driven many farmers into forested areas to farm. A regional assessment led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) revealed that integrated land-use patterns, in which communities use fire to clear forest for farming and extract timber for household use or income, are the main drivers of deforestation across West Africa.
The loss of vegetative cover has exacerbated water crises, intensified flash flooding, erratic rainfall and weakened local resilience to climate change.
Supporting Communities to Restore Forests and Landscapes
Smallholder farmers across the region have been working with Solidaridad to tackle deforestation at the community level. They are seeking to strengthen forest monitoring systems, promote sustainable forest and land-use practices through various integrated and inclusive initiatives.
In Nigeria, the Land Use and Restoration Impact Programme, a partnership with the Food Systems Initiative of the Global Environment Facility through the Food and Agriculture Organization, distributed 20,000 tree seedlings (mahogany and frywood) to oil palm farmers across six communities in the Cross River state. The initiative aims to restore degraded lands, improve biodiversity and encourage farmers to integrate trees into their farms.
The seedlings will cover a total land area of 33.3 hectares.
Community-based forest management committees have been established in the communities to strengthen community participation in natural resource management and forest conservation, ensuring effective management and sustainability of the initiative.
These committees are overseeing the planting and protection of the trees within their respective communities.
Solidaridad established the committees under the National Initiatives for Sustainable and Climate-Smart Oil Palm Smallholders (NISCOPS) project. These committees also work with traditional and community leaders to curb harmful human activities in natural forests and prevent further degradation.
Pius Ochafa, a community leader in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State, noted that the initiative has encouraged communities to embrace tree planting and environmental conservation practices.
We are gradually adopting the culture of planting trees around our farms, along riverbanks and in degraded community lands.
Pius Ochafa, Boki community leader
Building Deforestation-Free Cocoa Landscapes in Ghana
In Ghana, through initiatives such as the EnABLE Project, funded by the World Bank, and the Deforestation-Free Cocoa Project, funded by the European Union, thousands of cocoa farmers across key cocoa-growing regions are implementing climate-smart agricultural practices, sustainable tree-based farming systems, forest restoration and community-based monitoring.
These efforts also promote traceable, deforestation-free cocoa production with the active involvement of hitherto marginalized groups.
Across project communities, farmers and local stakeholders are planting trees, protecting water bodies, restoring degraded lands, improving farm productivity and building more resilient and inclusive cocoa landscapes that support both environmental sustainability and economic prosperity.
The initiatives are fostering meaningful participation of women, youth, migrants and persons with disabilities in landscape governance and decision-making processes.
Promoting Agroforestry and Biodiversity Conservation in Sierra Leone
A partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Sierra Leone and support from the European Union through its Jobs and Growth Programme is helping 3,000 smallholder farmers adopt practices that reduce environmental degradation, address climate change and prevent biodiversity loss.
Working alongside local partners, Develop Salone and Nianda Agriculture Trading Company, Solidaridad has supported farmers in the northern districts of Bombali, Port Loko, Kambia and Tonkolili to establish sustainable agroforestry systems. To date, more than 160,000 polyclonal cashew seedlings and 60,000 economic trees have been planted across 3,000 acres in 80 communities.
Strengthening Community Action
With support from the district councils, Solidaridad has established multi-stakeholder platforms at the community level, bringing together 88 stakeholders, including 65 men and 23 women, across the four districts. Each platform includes the heads of community natural resource management committees and representatives of traditional authorities.
These platforms have facilitated stakeholder engagement and the development of community-based natural resource management action plans. The plans provide a framework for the formulation and implementation of local by-laws aimed at protecting natural resources, promoting sustainable land use and strengthening community resilience to climate change.
“These structures play a critical role in promoting best practices such as bushfire prevention and control, discouraging deforestation and charcoal production, and encouraging the natural regeneration of tree cover on farms,” said Alusine Tarawally, senior programme officer at Solidaridad in Sierra Leone.
Solidaridad continues to raise awareness among smallholder farmers across the region on the importance of natural resource management, forest conservation, land restoration and climate change adaptation, demonstrating how trees can improve soil fertility and provide shade for crops, particularly in cocoa-growing communities. Through these efforts, communities are building resilience, restoring degraded landscapes and safeguarding natural resources for future generations.