Mr Lovans Owusu-Takyi, Progrmme Coordinator for Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA), has advised farmers to adopt agro-forestry, tree planting and sustainable land management practices to improve their lives.

He said fast growing multipurpose tree species such as cassia semea, neem, albizia lebbeck, calliandra callythursus, fruit trees and moringa would bring economic benefits to the farmers.

Mr Owusu Takyi said this when addressing farmer group’s leaders and agricultural extension officers in Ejisu at a day’s workshop aimed at building the capacity of farmers in agro-forestry techniques and managing sustainable projects in their communities.

The participants in the workshop were taken through various agro-forestry technologies, nursery management, seed treatment and how to develop action plans for project implementation.

The workshop also identified environmental problems faced by farmers in the district, possible ways of solving them, highlighted on the best practices in agro-forestry and sustainable land management and income-generating projects.

Mr Owusu-Takyi, who is also a Programme Director for Trees for the Future, a Non-Governmental Organisation, said the Organisation is committed to improving the livelihoods of farmers through training and capacity building in agro-forestry to improve soil fertility, control erosion and provide alternative income-generating enterprises to support farmers.

He said, Trees for the Future would plant two million trees in Ghana this year and promote agro-forestry practices to solve various environmental problems while improving the livelihoods of farmers.

Mr Alfred Osei, Assistant Director of the Extension Services of Ministry of Food and Agriculture at the Ejisu Juaben Municipality, expressed his appreciation to the KITA and Trees for the Future for the initiative, and gave the assurance that the district would support the NGO’s programmes.

He appealed to the farmers to adopt sustainable land use practices and agro-forestry techniques to help improve their livelihoods and the environment.**