FOUR communities in the Talensi-Nabdam district are to benefit from a World Vision Project that seeks to encourage farmers to interplant crops and trees on their farms.

The project, Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), is aimed at improving upon the fast degrading environment in the area, as a result of the felling of trees without replacement.

It is a reciprocate project of what is being practiced in other countries like Niger, Ethiopia, Mali and Senegal.

The National Resource Management Advisor at the World Vision-Australia, Tony Renaudo, who formally launched the project at Tongo, said the project had been successful in those countries, especially in Australia, where the project started in 1983 after that year's severe world drought. He said there were no trees in most parts of the country, but, today, about 6 million trees were being planted across the entire country.

According to the advisor, trees provided the environment with a lot of nutrition that helped in the growth of crops, but advised farmers to interplant trees and crops, and prune the trees to reduce the level of shape.

That way, they could still have good yields, while keeping the environment in good shape for the generation yet unborn, to also benefit.

Mr. Renaudo said the biggest challenge was how to get the all the communities on board in appreciating the need to interplant crops and trees. Superstition and bushfires were also mentioned as some challenges that needed to be given attention, if the project was to be successful.

He explained that the best way to address these challenges was through consensus building among farmers, chiefs, and the government.

Though he observed the hilly nature of the area and how it was degraded, he was optimistic that there were a lot of potentials in the district that could contribute to the success of the project.

He mentioned the appreciable number of trees in the district, and the fact that the participants, who were mainly chiefs, assembly members and elders of the district, were willingly to accept the project, and pledged their support towards its success.

The Talensi-Nabdam District Manager of World Vision, Mr. Nobert Akolbila, was hopeful that the project would help fight the menace of tree felling in the area, and also improve upon the low rain pattern.

He said his concern for now was to build the capacity of farmers, and to encourage them embrace the project, since they were the direct beneficiaries.

Though the four communities were yet to be identified for piloting, Mr. Akolbila said the remaining communities in the district would benefit, as farmers in these communities would be brought together into those that would be benefiting, to be educated on the project.

When asked about the sustainability of the project, the manager said it would depend on its success, but was quick to add that it would run for four years.

Mr. Akolbila revealed that his outfit, and other World Vision projects, presented their proposals for support for the project in their respective districts, but his outfit had its proposal approved, and was given the support to run the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration project.

Mr. Staurt Thompson, who is the World Vision Coordinator in Australia responsible for the Talensi-Nabdam programme, also took the participants through the need for inter-planting trees and crops.