MiDA News - MiDA Ghana

Millennium Development Authority Quarterly Newsletter | Tenth Edition | February, 2012
Good Environmental Management
Practices Bring Happiness and Wealth
Madam Fatima Sumani in her Starter
Pack farm
Background
The Tiyumtaba FBO is located at Duuyin
in the rural areas of the Tamale Metro.
This maize producing FBO is made up
of 31 women and 21 men. The FBO
was formed in 2008 to benefit from the
MiDA intervention. This is one of the
very few FBOs where women outnumber
men. Mr. Ibrahim Razak, the MoFA AEA
in the operational area who primed the
FBO, ensured that there was at least one
member from each household in the
community. This was to ensure that each
household benefited from the
programme.
Training
The FBO members took the trainings
very seriously. “Initially we thought the
training was going to be a waste of time,
says the secretary, Mr. Mohammed
Neindow “but after attending three
sessions we realized that we were
studying new things altogether.” Bush
fires had been predominant phenomenon
in the community during the dry season.
“I showed much interest in the topics
on good environmental management,”
says the chairman, Mr. Sayibu Lugshina.
“During our Monthly Meeting we
discussed how best we could
conscientise the entire community to
stop bush burning. We decided to put
what we have learnt into practice to
serve as a demonstration to non-FBO
16
members.” Members therefore stopped
burning bushes prior to farming, and
made fire belts around their farms when
the dry season was approaching. They
also stopped cutting down trees
indiscriminately, destroyed chemical
containers soon after use to prevent
other people using them as water
containers, and wore protective clothing
during spraying.
Results
All these good environmental
management practices did not go
unnoticed. “One day we got a message
that officials from the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) were paying
us a visit,” says the Chairman. “When
we met, their message was simple: They
wanted the FBO help them in a tree
planting exercise.” “We agreed to the
proposal” continued Mr. Mohammed
Neindow, the Secretary. “So far we have
at our nursery enough seedlings to plant
8 acres.” The tree species at the nursery
include Cassia and Alipizea,
In addition to adhering to good
environmental management practices,
the two training sessions the FBO
received has helped them increase their
crop productivity. Before the training
their yields were 5 maxi bags per acre
(1.25 t/ha), but now their yields are more
than twice that. “Almost all members
now get at least 10 bags per acre (2.5 t/
ha) whilst a few got up to 14 bags per
acre (3.5 t/ha),” the FBO Secretary
pointed out. The high yields were
attributed to adhering strictly to what
we were trained on. The bumper harvest
has significantly enhanced the livelihood
of members. Two members have put up
three bedroom houses which are almost
ready for use. Other members have
purchased bicycles, while others have
purchased goats and ewes for rearing.
“Most important of all, remarked Madam
Fatima Sumaini, the training has helped
us the women to open up and speak
boldly in public, something we were
afraid to do before the training.”
The Duuyin Tiyumtaba has therefore
seen the importance of adhering to good
environmental management, and will
continue to enjoy the benefit.
Mr. M. Neindow, FBO Secretary, putting
finishing touches to his new 3 bedroom house