PROBLEM DEFINITION

The project areas are experiencing land degradation as seen by soil erosion, water scarcity, reduced agricultural productivity and decreased nutritional value of food crops. Land degradation and drought are causing severe hardship for many people who directly depend upon the natural resources for survival. Women and children, in particular, bear the greatest burden in times of drought. Women are responsible for hauling water and firewood for the household, and desertification can add hours to labour to an already fully charged workday. During food scarcity, the health of women and children are also at greater risk.

The constraints to agricultural development in these areas include erratic rainfall pattern, low soil fertility, and long drought. The farmers continue to migrate/shift and clear virgin/new farm lands for crop production as a result of decline in crop yield due to declining soil fertility and low or unavailable market for their traditional crops, which is also staple food. They destroy the ecology of these areas with all the attendant environmental problems.

The high incidence of bushfires and alarming rate of tree felling for fuel-wood and charcoal production has contributed to deforestation of large tracts of land. The deforestation process has changed the water-holding capacity of the soil and the percolation needed to recharge groundwater aquifers. It also increases surface evaporation, resulting in a loss of moisture into the atmosphere. Denuded soils are more vulnerable to erosion leading to loss of arable agricultural farmlands and increased siltation. The result is wide spread poverty which underpins the actions of the local people towards the environment.

2.3 PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND INTENDED OUTPUTS

The project Idea

This initiative is to support community development and deployment of Climate Technology, Innovations and Entrepreneurship Centre for Climate Change Mitigation and Wealth Creation. This will be done through the cultivation of biofuel feedstock (sunflower, soya beans etc) under agro-forestry farming systems integrated with apiculture; processing the feedstock into biodiesel for use by the farmers; utilizing the byproducts (cake) for livestock and poultry production and using the animal droppings and farm waste to produce organic fertilizer to support agricultural production. At the forefront of this initiative is the supply of quality hybrid seeds to 100 rural farmers? members of the cooperative. Each farm-family would be supported to cultivate 2.5 ha of biofuel feedstock (sunflower as a start) integrated into food crop farming and apiculture. Farmers would be trained to practice dig wells and pump water for irrigation using biodiesel powered pumping machines

The feedstock from the farms would be purchased from the farmers at designated buying centres throughout the district at very competitive prices. In addition, the trained personnel of farmers cooperative will visit the farms to provide more technical guidance to the farmers. They will assist the apiculturalists to harvest and sell the honey. The sunflower feedstock and the honey would be processed at a mill in the project area which will be expanded through investors/equity ventures.

2.3.1 Main Objectives

The main objective of this initiative is to develop the capacities of local farmers to invest in Climate Technology, Innovations and Entrepreneurship ventures with the view to reversing trends in land degradation for food security, livestock production, honey production and commercial production of biodiesel and within the context of the United Nations Convention to combat desertification and climate change mitigation.

The specific objectives are:

- To develop and sustain the capacities of rural farmers to increase investment in sustainable land management through the cultivation and trading in sunflower.

- To support the commercial production of sunflower biodiesel as alternative to fossil fuel targeting large farm machineries and companies that generate thermal electricity.

- To support farm-based enterprises for the commercial production of honey, poultry and livestock based on sunflower cakes and processing of farm waste and animal droppings into organic fertilizer

Project Justification

The project has been formulated within the context of the United Nations Convention to combat desertification and climate change mitigation. It is also in line with the OP 5 strategy of the GEF-SGP in Ghana. The project also fulfils the National Poverty Reduction Strategy. Investment in biofuel will earn farmers ready cash which can be used to sustainable land management. The residues of sunflower will be used as organic fertilizer to improve soil fertility. Farmers can maintain and farm on old farmlands for a long time without destroying new /virgin lands. They will be assisted. There is a guaranteed market for the products.

It is estimated that 50 hectares of degraded land would be cultivated to grow sunflower under agroforestry schemes. In the short term (3 months), sunflower seeds will be used to produce crude sunflower oil for biodiesel.

The biodiesel plant will be sited at Gomoa Adzintem to convert all the crude oil into biodiesel to be distributed to consumers. Biodiesel produces approximately 85% less carbon dioxide emissions and almost 100% less sulphur dioxide. Combustion of biodiesel alone provides over 90% reduction in total unburned hydrocarbons; and a 75%- 90% reduction in aromatic hydrocarbons.

Biodiesel further provides significant reductions in particulates and carbon monoxide han petroleum diesel fuel.Biodiesel provides a slightly increase or decrease in Noxices depending on engine family and testing procedures.Based on Ames Mutagencity tests,biodiesel provides a 90% reduction in cancer risks.

Biodiesel is 11% safe to handle and transport because it is biodegradable as sugar and10 times less toxic than table salt .When burned in a diesel engine,biodiesel replaces the exhaust odour of petroleum diesel with the pleasnt smell of pop corn .

Project Components

Component 1: Training, Capacity building and climate innovation technology development

This component will finance technical assistance and equipment for the establishment, outfitting, training and operational activities in integrated sunflower production and processing. The project will introduce 100 local farmers to sustainable land management practices that integrate sunflower production into food crops and honey production.

Farmers would be organized into cooperative of 10 each. Each farm-based group will work in a block farm of 15 ha with each farmer owning and working of 1.5 ha land. The will be 10 block farms scattered in the project area beside individual farm holdings by 20 in each ecological zone. The project will train its members in sustainable land management technologies including organic farming, water and soil nutrients conservation, agro-forestry and integrated pest management.

The project will develop clear and well defined strategies that will help the local farmers? cooperative to metamorphose into small enterprises that will be the sole controller of the sunflower industry in the country with many players involved at different production levels. The present level of farm tractors will increase from 2 to 6 under the Government of Ghana tractor service support project. Each block farm will own and operate a tractor to be acquired under the government tractor support programme launched 2009.

Each farm-family would be supported to cultivate 1.5 ha of sunflower integrated into food crop farming with apiculture. Each member trained farm-family will be supplied with ten modern beehives to be installed strategically on the farms. Farmer groups would be trained in apiculture management and supported to acquire at least 40 modern bee hives. Farmers would be trained in livestock and poultry to utilize the sunflower cake as animal feed. The project will support the farmers with start-up capital to purchase improved animal stock to develop the livestock industry.

The success of the project will depend on the strong research from the farm level to the production stage. Sunflower is a new crop whose agronomic practices have not been adequately studied in the country. The project will provide technical and financial support to the Crop Research Unit of the CSIR to conduct multi-location trials throughout the country aimed at optimizing crop yield through strict adherence and implementation to agronomic practices studied and recommended by the scientists. The scientist will organize training for all farmers to directly impart the knowledge and techniques acquired in sunflower production to the farmers. At the forefront of its operation will be the supply of quality hybrid seeds the Crop Research Unit will produce quality seeds for quality oil and other products to meet international standards and health requirements. Training to farmers will include climatic and soil requirements; management practices: soil preparation, planting time, plant population, plant depth, fertilization, weed control, insect and disease control, harvesting, grading and marketing

The feedstock from the farm will be purchased from the farmers by the management of TRAGRIMAC at designated buying centres throughout the district at very competitive prices. In addition, the trained personnel of TRAGRIMAC management will visit the farms to provide more technical guidance to the farmers. They will assist the apiculturalists to harvest and sell the honey. The sunflower feedstock and the honey would be transported to the mill at Adzintem for processing.

The project will provide technical support to the Industrial Research Unit of CSIR to research into the best production practices in biodiesel. They will assist the TRAGRIMAC to produce quality sunflower oil.

Component 2: Equipment and Material for Mechanization, Oil Mill and Biodiesel l Processing.

Under the previous support project the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme assisted the project beneficiaries to acquire and install one 4,000 MT/day capacity oil mill and 200 litre batch processor. Under the expanded phase the project will relocate Oil mill to Gomoa Adzintem and acquire an additional one with daily capacity of 100 MT/day. A large storage facility capable of storing 1.2 million tons of oil will be installed together with the biodiesel processor.

Sunflower cake is excellent for poultry in particular and livestock in general as shown by laboratory tests from all leading three quality analysis laboratories in the country ? Ghana Standards Board, Animal Research Institute and Animal Science Department of the University of Ghana, Legon. Locally produced sunflower cake will reduce the cost of poultry production and make prices competitive to cheap imports from Europe, USA and Asia. GHAFCO has demanded 20 MT for poultry feed formulation. It is expected that 1.2 million tons of cake will be produced annually and this will be supplied first to the project beneficiaries before selling any extra to other consumers. Glycerin another by-product of the biodiesel will be sold to cosmetic companies in the country.

Component 3: Enterprises establishment for the commercial production of honey and livestock.

This component will support farmer based organization to invest in commercial production of honey and livestock. It is anticipated that 1,000 modern bee hives will be installed within the project area. The project will be supported to acquire honey processing equipment to be sited close to the processing plant. A buying centre and purchasing agreements would be signed with the farmers to supply honey to the company. The project will also assist 50 farmers to invest in livestock and poultry to take advantage of the sunflower cake as feed for the animals.
A renewable energy training centre will be established to train the farmers in solar drying to process some of the sunflower seeds nuts for the local market