As important as the forest is to the survival of the people of Edondon, the community has no clear forest management or land use plan or documented rules to regulate access and use of their (remaining) forest. In addition, they have held on to their age long traditional system of agriculture requiring the complete removal of every standing tree in the farm land, and burning before cultivating any crop, and more than two-third of the population rely on agriculture for survival. However, yearly reduction in crop yield and increasing population are having direct implications on the remaining forest, which is assumed to have more fertile soil. The project will specifically address the challenge of deforestation caused by unsustainable agricultural practice, cutting down of trees for fuel wood triggered by poverty and lack of knowledge.
This CBR+ Project will therefore Support sustainable community based forest management practices, through the setting up of a forest government system that will monitor forest activities in the community. Ten (10) hectares of already depleted forest will be regenerated by Introducing indigenous and economic trees. Five family lineage heads in control of the larger forest land in the community will make available 10 hectares of land for this purpose. The project will also support alternative livelihood option in cassava value chain, by providing eight community members with cassava processing equipment to enhance Garri processing cutting down cost and difficulty in Garri processing.