Title: THE CONCERNS OF FARMERS ON ALLANBLACKIA FRUIT TREE DOMESTICATION/MARKET ISSUES.
1THE CONCERNS OF FARMERS ON ALLANBLACKIA FRUIT
TREE DOMESTICATION/MARKET ISSUES. (a
representative view of the farmers of
Sureso/Pebaseman community of the amenfi district
of the western region.) Presenter Kwesi
Dankama Quarm (Rev.) Executive Director
Centre for Agro-forestry Business
Development CABUD an NGO Accra Office
P.O. Box MB 575 Accra. Tel 233
21 505 720 Mobile 233 24 210 613
7 Fax 233 21 505 315 Email
cabudghana_at_yahoo.com Asankrangwa
Office P.O. Box 59
Asankrangwa.
2- Our Project Strengthening Capacity of
Communities for Biodiversity Conservation And
Enhancing the Security of their Livelihood. - Our Benefactor UNDP/GEF/Small Grants
Programme - Care International
- Forest Watch-Ghana.
- Pioneer Beneficiary
- Community Sureso / Pebaseman Community
on Akyekyedee Divisional Stool Land of Wasa
Amenfi Traditional Area in the Amenfi East/West - Districts in the Western Region of Ghana.
- Activities - Nursery/Tree planting (local and
exotic) - - Small ruminants production
- - Micro-credit financing
- - Bio prospecting for non timber forest
products (NTFPs) - - Wood, rattan. Bamboo handicraft production
- - Health education and promotion
- - Land use, planning and management
- - Entrepreneurial skills development
- - Agro-forestry practices
3- Source of Inspiration
- and Knowledge
UNEP - ICRAF
4- Dr. Tony Simons Remarks when he visited our
community on November 27, 2003. - Great to meet such an enthusiastic promoter of
Agro-forestry, Thanks for the Knowledge. -
- From the Visitors book of
- J.Y. Quarm Farms
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8- THE CONCERNS OF THE FARMER
- INTRODUCTION
- I belong to the Sureso/Pebaseman farming
community in the Amenfi West District of the
Western - Region of Ghana at the Head of the Centre for
Agro-forestry Business Development CABuD a - Local NGO. It is one of the communities in the
high forest ecosystem where Allanblackia thrives. - INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE/TECHNOLOGY
- Though Allanblackia nuts are not used on any
large-scale, its use as cooking oil is known and
there is a traditional knowledge and technology
for exploiting it. As far as 1997 we envisaged
its future potential as a commercial product and
we encouraged some farmers in our community under
our agro-forestry and afforestation programme to
start planting them on their cocoa farms and
urged them to stop cutting them down. - NEW INITIATIVE
- For the past three years, however, we are happy
that an institution like FORIG has entered our
community to talk and find out more about it and
have even began to organize for its purchase. In
this regard, we have some concerns as farmers in
the possible exploitation of this untapped forest
resource. What follows may not be my personal
view, but, rather what I have gathered from other
farmers in my community ever since I had the
invitation to attend this workshop.
9- It may as well be a representative view of the
farmers in Ghana where this resource is found as
they share a common ecological niche and
agricultural problems. We are all familiar with
the case of sunflower and the jatropha plants
which were huge investment hazard/disaster for
the farmers. Not even to speak of the
cocoa/cassava and the headaches they are offering
us. - The major concerns of the farmers are the
following. - 1. RELIABLE SUPPLY OF IMPROVED SEEDLINGS-
How/Where can they get reliable supply of
improved fast growing seedlings and at what cost.
It has been observed that the seeds take quite a
long time to germinate. Some estimate between 2-3
years. - 2. GUARANTEED MARKET AND PRICE- To motivate
farmers to undertake its cultivation, there is
the need to create a guaranteed market and price.
They prefer that prices shall be announced at the
beginning of each harvesting season publicly. - 3. PROVISION OF TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL
RESOURCES/ASSISTANCE- Both technical and
financial assistance are essential for farmers to
get involved in the development and promotion of
Allanblackia as an industrial product. - 4. PARTICIPATION IN THE FIXING OF PRICES-
Farmers expect to be involved in the fixing of
prices so that their own concerns and interest
can be factored into the pricing regime to
satisfy both parties. - 5. Farmer-Based Marketing System- Farmers want
to set up their own marketing system where users
can contact them directly for their supply. They
might be lacking the capacity, but they wish to
be supported in this direction to meet the
required standard of service.
10- 6. VALUE ADDITION- As much as possible the raw
materials should be processed in the areas of
production so that more employment would be
provided beyond farming and add more money to the
lives of the people. - 7. CONSTANT RAPPORT BETWEEN INDUSTRYAND
FARMERS- For an exchange of information on
production, marketing, cultivation and
consumption issues. - 8. AN INSTITUTION OF A REVOLVING FUND- This
will provide credit facilities to farmers and
purchasers of the fruits. - 9. INSTITUTION OF AN ANNUAL BEST FARMER AWARD
FOR ALLANBLACKIA- Each year farmers would want
an award ceremony to be held to honour
hard-working farmers and institutions. - 10. A FARMERS RESOURCE AND TRAINING CENTRE-
They wish to be provided with a Farmers Resource
and Training Centre as a one-stop centre where
everything that they shall needs/want about
Allanblackia be provided. - The reason is that officials come to talk and go
and they only come back when it pleases them or
their time allows. Meanwhile, the farmer may be
needing something vital to enable him/her to make
progress and he/she is handicapped. Such a
facility will always bridge the gap and also be a
symbol of seriousness and service. -
11PERSONAL ASSESMENT
- Judging from my earlier contacts with most of the
officials involved in the AB initiative from
Ghana and the interest and dynamism of Dr. Tony
Simons and his able staff and what I have heard
and discussed here at ICRAF for the past two
days. I have no doubt about the progress and
success of this initiative if an enabling
environment and resources are continually
provided.
12APPRECIATION
- I wish to express for myself and behalf of the
organizers for this training workshop both from
Ghana and ICRAF for their invitation extended to
us to participate in this workshop and share with
you our concerns. We anticipate that in the wider
context of your various works you will find our
concerns legitimate and necessary.
13CONCLUSION
- On the basis we are sure that if the necessary
support is provided, we as farmers both in our
own locality and the neighbourhood shall put up
our MAXIMUM effort and skills to ensure the
OPTIMUM success of this wonderful AB INITIATVE.
Congratulation to the initiators and their
collaborators. May God bless them abundantly. -
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
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