Grassroots Work

The Sustainable Livelihoods Programme

The majority of people in Northern Ghana rely on the land for their livelihood. Environmental degradation is seriously affecting agricultural output, which in turn leads to hunger, and poverty.

The Sustainable Livelihood Programme (SLP) aims to address these problems by working with rural communities to find lasting sustainable solutions to the problems they face. Project planning process relies heavily upon community participation and focuses on a community’s own definition of their needs.

The overall approach, known as LEISA (Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture) ensure widespread acceptability with key features being use of low cost local resources, dependence on local labour, basic and appropriate techniques which complement indigenous skills and resources and help put the programme within the reach of the poorest and most vulnerable communities and individuals.

The SLP assist and advises farmers in land management techniques, which combines agricultural improvement with environmental conservation. Particular emphasis in placed on soil and water Management and Group Capacity Building (GCB) training on day workshops basis to give improvement on group level activities and integration of livestock into soil and water conservation practices.

The specific LEISA techniques being undertaken by communities, groups or individuals (both men and women) include:

• Soil and water conservation practices: Contour line identification using simple levelling tools (spirit levels, water tube, A-Frame etc.) and construction of stone and / or earth bund along lines to counteract soil erosion and to improve water infiltration, gully rehabilitation by construction of stone dams.
• Agronomic practices: Contour ploughing, intercropping, non bush burning crop, residue management, composting, dry season gardening, farm yard manure, green manure, striga control, cover cropping, soybean utilisation programme, etc.
• Environmental Management: Establishment of community tree nurseries (including grafting) and tree growing, alley cropping, woodlots, promotion of natural regeneration and construction of improved firewood saving stove.
  
  As part of farming support programme, the SLP assist communities or groups with tools pack to undertake LEISA practices.

Mr Vincent Subbey, SLP Coordinator

Income Generating Activities Programme.

Income Generating Activities (IGA) Programme is focused on the empowerment of rural communities, especially women to improve on their income and quality of life.

The real life situation of the poor rural communities in the Northern Region of Ghana is very challenging and is critical to women who bear the responsibility of home management. The IGA programme strategy is to address livelihood issues by integrating training and development activities to address existing problems.

TRAX Africa interventions and activities with groups and communities are geared towards making them self-reliant. Activities are determined by groups themselves. These include

• shea-butter processing
• groundnut oil extraction
• grain banking
• pito brewing
• malt processing
• soap making
• basket weaving, etc.
  
  These activities are chosen taking into consideration their basic human needs, priorities and availability of resources that can maximise benefits for the groups, individuals and the communities as a whole. IGA programmes strive to help establish enterprise that is sustainable long after TRAX Africa has weaned off and withdrawn from the communities or groups.

The main features of this programme, which looks beyond “providing fish” for the needy, are:

• Provides awareness building.
• Building of group consciousness / sensitisation
• Providing training in technical and managerial skills.
• Assist in fund raising for project proposals in collaboration with other programme arms of the organisation such as the Community Empowerment Programme (CEP) and Training of Trainers (TOTP)
• Fair Trade / Market linkages such as MAPRONET (Market Access Programme Network) with supply of information on product supply and prices and linkages.
• Project Development, training in business advisory roles such as loan repayment, IGA Needs Assessment.
• Linking groups to credit providers
• Supporting women groups in sourcing credit
• Encourage the formation of community associations for long terms support in IGA
• Supporting Feasibility studies with communities

Mrs Sandra Fatima Anafu Astanga, IGA Officer

Training Of Trainers Programme (TOTP )

The Training of Trainers Programme (TOTP) was born out of the Agriculture Programme (AP) during the past phase of 1997 – 2000. The TOTP’s main role is to disseminate and promote experiences acquired by the Agricultural Programme (now Sustainable Livelihood Programme - SLP).

The main aim of the TOTP then was to disseminate, promote and replicate experiences and skills acquired by the Agric Programme (now Sustainable Livelihood Programme – SLP) through years of work on the ground – denoted “scaling up”.

This objective of “scaling – up” leisa techniques and capacity building techniques to NGOs, CBOs and Government organizations, have been pursued through:

• Skills trainings in SWC & Leisa techniques, and GCB techniques to requesting organizations.
• Workshop and radio presentations on TRAX Africa's experiences and activities.
• Networking activities.

The TOTP have been sub-divided into two complementary programme arms ; one concentrating on training of Community trainers and post complement each other.

Some achievements the TOTP has chalked so far include the following:

Over 24 students from various internal and external institutions (Middlesex University - UK, UDS, Rural Development College, Agric colleges etc.) have been on placements with TRAX Africa.

Radio & Workshop Publicity Presentations –Three (3) radio interviews and discussions (one in local language and 3 in English) and 10 workshop presentations have been carried out till date.

The future Strategies of the TOTP will look at the following:

• Lay emphasis on CT training.
• Develop funding proposals for CBO training in the areas of GCB, SWC and Leisa techniques.
• Produce more TRAX Africa documentary training clips.
• Aggressive advocacy work on TRAX Africa activities through organizing seminars, radio discussions and article writing and publication.

By achieving the above strategies together with already ongoing programmes, we believe would enhance the scaling-up objectives of TRAX Africa to a wider level.

Mr Peter Baba Akanzire, Senior Training Officer