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On-Farm Tree Planting in Ghana’s High Forest Zone: The Need to Consider Carbon Payments

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Governing the Provision of Ecosystem Services

Part of the book series: Studies in Ecological Economics ((SEEC,volume 4))

Abstract

In Ghana, a policy reform in 2002 made provisions for ownership rights and benefit-sharing agreements to individuals who plant timber trees in off-reserve areas. Governmental and non-governmental organisations provided support for tree planting among smallholder farmers since in the expectation that rural livelihoods will be enhanced, while it could also give a boost to carbon sequestration. This chapter addresses livelihood aspect of the scheme, which is still limited due to a lack of timber proceeds and strongly dependent on outside actor support. Secure land and tree tenure, partnerships between farmers and public and/or private actors, as well as engagement in carbon credits generation can substantially enhance the sustainability of the tree-planting scheme and its potential contribution to rural livelihoods.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Ghana’s forests are divided into reserved and unreserved forests, commonly denoted as on and off-reserve areas.

  2. 2.

    Following Somarriba (1992, p. 240), agroforestry is defined in this chapter as a form of multiple cropping in which at least two plant species interact biologically, with at least one of them being a woody perennial and at least one plant species is managed for forage, annual or perennial crop production.

  3. 3.

    URL: info.FSC.org, Retrieved November 24, 2011.

  4. 4.

    URL: www.samartex.com.gh, Retrieved November 24, 2011.

  5. 5.

    URL: http://offinso.ghanadistricts.gov.gh, Retrieved November 24, 2011.

  6. 6.

    The Program on Forests (PROFOR) is a multi-donor trust fund based at the World Bank with the aim being ‘to support in-depth analysis, innovative processes and knowledge-sharing and dialogue, in the belief that sound forest policy can lead to better outcomes on issues ranging from livelihoods and financing, to illegal logging, biodiversity and climate change’ (URL: http://www.profor.info/profor/content/our-mission, Retrieved December 20, 2011).

  7. 7.

    We considered the financial data that we collected on costs to be unreliable due to the failure by farmers to keep books and provide financial transparency and therefore decided to provide an overview of items and labour time only.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Tropenbos International (TBI) for funding and TBI-Ghana for general, capacity building and logistical support. Thanks are also due to the respondents who willingly devoted time to participate in surveys and interviews. We also appreciated the useful comments made by an anonymous referee to an earlier draft of this chapter.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources (FRNR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana

    Thomas F. G. Insaidoo

  2. Tropenbos International Ghana, UP 982, Kumasi, Ghana

    Thomas F. G. Insaidoo

  3. Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development, Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), University of Amsterdam, Plantage Muidergracht 14-16, 1018 TV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Mirjam A. F. Ros-Tonen

  4. Department of Silviculture and Forest Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources (FRNR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, University Post Office, Kumasi, Ghana

    Emmanuel Acheampong

Authors
  1. Thomas F. G. Insaidoo
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  2. Mirjam A. F. Ros-Tonen
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  3. Emmanuel Acheampong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mirjam A. F. Ros-Tonen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Cultural Anthropology and Development St, Radboud University Nijmegen, Thomas van Aquinostraat 4, Nijmegen, 6525 GD, Netherlands

    Roldan Muradian

  2. , Institute of Social and Cultural Anthrop, University of Oxford, Banbury Road 51/53, Oxford, 0X2 6PE, United Kingdom

    Laura Rival

Appendix 1: Activities Involved in On-Farm Tree Planting (Planting and Maintenance Costs)

Appendix 1: Activities Involved in On-Farm Tree Planting (Planting and Maintenance Costs)

Scenario 1a

Scenario 2b

Activity

Input/quantity/schedule

Activity

Inputs/quantity/schedule

1. Land preparation

 

1. Land preparation

 

Clearing

Labour (20 md)

Clearing

Labour (20 md)

Stumping/debris removal

Labour (20 md)

Stumping/debris removal

Labour (20 md)

2. Planting

 

2. Planting

 

(a) Maize

15 kg seeds  +  labour (15md)

(a) Maize

15 kg seeds  +  labour (15 md)

(b) Cedrela/teak

1,111 seedlingsc  +  labour (10 md)

(b) Mahogany/ofram

67 seedlingsd  +  labour (1 md)

(c) Cocoyam

900 corms  +  labour (13 md)

(c) Cocoyam

1,000 corms  +  labour (17 md)

(d) Yam

200 setts  +  stakes  +  labour (8 md)

(d) Plantain (3 m  ×  3 m)

1,111 suckers  +  labour (25 md)

(e) Plantain

1,111 suckers  +  labour (25 md)

(e) Cassava

2 ½ head-loads  +  labour (4 md)

(f) Cassava

2 ½ head-loads  +  labour (4 md)

(f) Vegetables (pepper, etc.)

250 seedlings  +  labour (4 md)

(g) Vegetables (pepper, etc.)

250 Seedlings  +  labour (4 md)

(g) Cocoa (at 3 m  ×  3 m)

1,111 seedlings  +  labour (15 md)

3. Maintenance

 

3. Maintenance

 

(a) Weeding – labour (three times each in 1st–3rd yr)

90 md each in 1st–3rd yr

(a) Weeding – labour (three times each in 1st–3rd yr)

90 md each in 1st–3rd yr

(b) Filling ine

120 seedlings  +  labour (2 md)

(b) Filling in timber

20 seedlings  +  labour (1 md)

(c) Pruning

Labour (5 md) each in 3rd yr

(c) Filling in cocoa

200 seedlings  +  labour (4 md)

(d) Cocoa sprayingf (two times per yr at 2 l, start at 2nd yr)

Chemical  +  labour (10 md)

(e) Cocoa – fert. application

Two bags fert  +  labour (2 md)

(f) Pruning of cocoa

Labour (2 md)

(g) Pruning of timber trees

Labour (1 md each in 3rd yr)

4. Harvesting

 

4. Harvesting

 

(a) Maize

Labour (12 md in 1st yr)

(a) Maize

Labour (12 md in 1st yr)

(b) Vegetables (pepper, etc.)

Labour (4 md each in 1st and 2nd yr)

(b) Vegetables (pepper, etc.)

Labour (4 md each in 1st–4th yr)

(c) Cocoyam

Labour (8 and 6 md each in 2nd and 3rd yr)

(c) Cocoyam

Labour (8 and 6 md each in 2nd–4th yr)

(d) Yam

Labour (2 md in 2nd yr)

(d) Yam

Labour (2 md in 2nd yr)

(e) Cassava

Labour (5 md each in 2nd and 3rd yr)

(e) Cassava

Labour (5 md each in 2nd and 3rd yr)

(f) Plantain (2/3 of planted)

Labour (4 md each in 2nd and 3rd yr)

(f) Plantain (2/3 of planted)

Labour (4 md each in 2nd and 3rd yr)

  1. Source: Based on in-depth interviews with six smallholders from the three forest districts
  2. Key: md man days, yr year
  3. a  Based on exotic timber species planted at 3 m  ×  3 m, with initial stocking of 1,111 seedlings/ha and referring to the first 3 years of establishment (2002–2004).
  4. b  Based on indigenous timber species interplanted with cocoa at a spacing of 10 m  ×  15 m, with initial stocking of 67 seedlings/ha and referring to the first 3 years (2002–2004).
  5. c  Spacing of 3 m  ×  3 m  =  9 m2.
  6. d  Spacing at 10 m  ×  15 m  =  150 m2.
  7. e  Filling in means planting timber trees in open spaces that are due to trees that failed to survive (in forestry referred to as ‘beating up’).
  8. f  Cocoa spraying is done free by the government, but farmers supplement the spraying.

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Insaidoo, T.F.G., Ros-Tonen, M.A.F., Acheampong, E. (2013). On-Farm Tree Planting in Ghana’s High Forest Zone: The Need to Consider Carbon Payments. In: Muradian, R., Rival, L. (eds) Governing the Provision of Ecosystem Services. Studies in Ecological Economics, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5176-7_22

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