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Wofabeng Agroforestry and Environmental Development Group - Guaman, Volta Region, Ghana, West Africa
Last Upate - 19 August 2007 See NEWS about our participation in the Greening Ghana Initiative and see PHOTO ALBUM for pictures of our related activities.
ABOUT US
The Wofabeng Agroforestry and Environmental Group (WAFEDEG) is a cooperative organization based in the village of Guaman, a small community of peasant farmers in the Jasikan District of the Volta Region in Ghana, West Africa. WAFEDEG can be defined as a farmer-based organization (FBO) and a non-governmental organization (NGO) in that it is comprised solely of local farmers concerned with food security and environmental issues. The group was formed in 1996 and became legally recognized in 2001. The group consists of forty-seven members including twenty-seven females and twenty males. An eight-member executive committee facilitates group meetings and activities.
The organization developed as a response to environmental degradation in the Volta Region. Much of this degradation is due, in large part, to unsustainable agricultural methods that were introduced in the colonial period and persist in the postcolonial period. These methods include the abundant use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers as well as the use of cropping systems unsuitable for the climate and geography of the area.
Currently, WAFEDEG comprises roughly ten percent of the total farmers in Guaman and its neighboring villages. The group wishes to attract future participants by taking a leading role in development projects as well as setting an example by practicing economically and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices.
The group primarily consists of members who practice food crop agriculture. Farmers in the area cultivate maize, rice, cassava, yams, cocoa yams, beans, tomatoes, nadua (garden eggs), peppers, onions, and ginger. The group is also gradually becoming engaged in an agroforestry system of farming. Within the realm of agroforestry, group members grow and cultivate plantains, mangoes, oranges, palm trees, cocoa, coffee, coconuts, and teak. Apart from the above activities, the group is also involved in HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns, in conjunction with WACWEL (Women’s Association for Children’s Welfare), in Guaman and surrounding communities under the sponsorship of the Ghana AIDS Commission.
In conjunction with organizations such as Heifer International, Ghana AIDS Commission, The (Ghanaian) Department of Forestry, The (Ghanaian) Department of Food and Agriculture, and the United States Peace Corps WAFEDEG has made important progress in both its activities and aims. For example, WAFEDEG recently acquired rabbits, poultry, and bee-keeping equipment from Heifer International as part of its vision to enhance community welfare through alternative livelihood projects. WAFEDEG has also campaigned successfully, through educational programs, in the Jasikan District against HIV/AIDS and the behaviors that lead to its transmission. In conjunction with the Department of Forestry, WAFEDEG has also taken part in distributing seedlings to its neighboring communities. The Department of Food and Agriculture has also recently approved a grant to help support maize, rice, and cassava processing in the village of Guaman that will lead to greater self-sufficiency and market attractiveness. Recently, WAFEDEG also acquired a Peace Corps volunteer to aid in facilitating its future developments as both an NGO and an advocate for food security and environmental issues in the Jasikan District specifically, and Ghana in general.
OUR TEAM
President – Gilbert Evans Owusu
Vice President – Nana Agyemfra Poku
Secretary – Obedson Nyarko
Assistant Secretary – Erskine Owusu Atta
Financial Secretary – Benjamin Bani
Treasurer – Selina Antobea
Organizing Secretary – Margaret Abusuapa
Coordinator/ Project Director – Kofi Asare Baffour
Advisor – Kwodjo Aseda Douglas La Rose (PCV)
PATRONS/DIRECTORS
Johnson Asare-Danso
Joseph Asare-Djan
Seth Bediako-Donkor
David Oteng
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