Forest and farm producers are critical agents for a healthy planet - GhaFFaP

The Leadership of the Ghana Federation of Forest and Farm Producers (GhaFFaP) has acknowledged the central role of the forest in ensuring sustainable biodiversity for all forms of lives on the planet.

A statement issued in Accra by Madam Victoria Adongo, the Executive Director, Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, said GhaFFaP acknowledged the very great threats on biodiversity due to deforestation, forest degradation, climate change and most importantly the human factor that created the biggest threat.

The Federation issued the statement to commemorate the International Day of the Forest.

It said the threat to biodiversity had also very serious consequences for primary resource dependent households, local communities, vulnerable groups and most importantly women.

GhaFFaP aims to support the global drive to reverse the threat to biodiversity by embarking on interventions that promote climate resilient landscapes and forest landscape restoration using the potency of its strength in numbers.

The statement said livelihoods of GhaFFaP members, that were mainly smallholder farming, was rooted in sustainable land use practices, building climate resilient landscapes and engaging in forest landscape restoration towards improving biodiversity.

It said biodiversity offered smallholder farm families’ sustainable and diversified livelihoods.

Thus the threat to biodiversity was a threat to the existence of resource dependent communities.

It said GhaFFaP aimed to use its strength in numbers to partner the government and other stakeholders to undertake forest landscape restoration including the integration of trees on their lands, use of farmer managed natural regeneration approaches and agro-ecology farming best practices to improve forest cover and biodiversity.

The Federation used the International Day of the Forest, 2020, to call on all of its members, communities and everyone to stay safe from the coronavirus by practicing good hygiene, especially regular handwashing, use of hand sanitizers, keeping a distance from people with cough and sneezing, and avoiding gatherings.

It also urged its members to comply with the Government’s directives and measures towards overcoming the virus.

"GhaFFaP says together we shall overcome the coronavirus and together we shall reverse the coronavirus spread and its effect," the statement said.