Temperature - European Investment Bank

WEST AFRICAN POWER POOL (WAPP) PÖYRY ENERGY LTD.
Mount Coffee HPP ESIA and RAP 2012-09-18
ESIA Report Page 105
14.2.1.6 Market
14.2.1.7 Livestock
There is only one regional market available in the project surrounding area which is the
Bensonville regional market. The regular market day is on Thursday of every week.
About 85% of farmers in the project area use this market, while 15% take their produce
to the Monrovia red light market. The main crops farmers trade with are cassava,
pepper, bitter ball, corn etc. Sales at the market are predominately done by the women.
The produce are transported by own private vehicles. Generally, 75-80% of the produce
from the farm are sold, while the rest of the products are consumed.
Animal husbandry is not commonly practised by communities in the project area.
Chickens and ducks were the only livestock identified except for Gbally Village where
15 sheep and 11 goats were seen. Chickens are kept by nearly every family within the
project area and are often slaughtered for home consumption during holidays; they are
sometimes sold or even used for dowry payment.
14.2.1.8 Land Tenure
14.2.2 Forestry
During the discussions with farmers in the project area, nobody claimed ownership of
any of the land in the area. All they spoke about was that all lands in the project area
belong to LEC. Nobody owns land in the area and nobody inherits land. Only crops can
be inherited. Settlers consult their landlords who in turn see the chief for the release of
land. Settlers only give gifts to the chief and are not allowed to plant tree crops.
Consequently the land is basically used for annuals crops.
Land holding in the village is between half (0.5) to five (5) hectares. The average land
holding is about 0.5 ha. The minimum land size to support an average family size is
between half (0.5) to two (1.5) hectares.
No heavy presence of primary and secondary forest and/or protected area within the
project vicinity was observed during this assessment, except for a small piece of
secondary forest before reaching the Varney Town community. The major plantation
land use within the area is sugarcane and at times cassava.
With respect to forestry activities in the project area, majority of the affected
community people are engaged in charcoal production, bush meat hunting, NTFPs
extraction, fishing, etc. for their livelihood.
The sparsely inhabited lands, mainly of farmland along the tributary rivers and streams,
harbour a limited number of game where hunters visit, especially in the nights to poach
the games and prepare the carcasses for sale in the local markets or in Monrovia away
from the project area. The available game hunted includes monkeys, buffalos, duikers,
antelopes, glasscutters, birds, reptiles, etc.
Charcoal production
Production of charcoal and collection of fuel wood for household energy are practised
throughout by these communities mostly by men. Some of the charcoal and fuel are
heaped in the villages by the major roads for sale. Trees like Anogeissus leiocarpus
Detarium microcarpum, Daniella oliveri, Afzelia Africana and Khaya senegalensis,