ABRONO ORGANIC FARMERS PROJECT, Ghana works in the Forikrom community. Forikrom is surrounded by a number of living landscapes, sacred caves, mountains, historical rocks and a store house of historical myths and heritage. Unfortunately, these sites are being encroached on by outsiders, especially religious pilgrims. The essence of the bio-cultural asset is losing its significance and neglect of the place is damaging the natural preserve. The history of the town is dying and the legacy of indigenous wisdom is not being harnessed.
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The Abrono Organic Farmers Project therefore decided to create awareness on traditional ecological and natural resources management of Forikrom’s bio-cultural assets. Community Resources mapping was updated, a validation exercise brought stakeholders on board and community members developed action plans to revamp and protect their natural and bio-cultural assets.
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IMPACT AND CHALLENGES
The community decided to document their history and their resources, traditional leaders have taken the initiative to be the protectors of the bio-cultural assets by setting bylaws, and an Eco- System Management Committee has been set up. The initial meeting with the community was not successful as most people believed that the community assets had been sold to outsiders. Some people refused to be interviewed during the resources mapping as their mistrust for the chiefs regarding the resources was not clear. The process of resilience building is ongoing and requires significant time for dialogue at crucial moments.
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The process has now brought together indigenous knowledge holders to develop traditional mechanisms for managing their own resources, a local music group has been revived to help build up social bonding and cohesion, and community members have come to know the issues that lie with their bio-cultural assets and the role of their chiefs and elders. The project is reaching out to about 2,800 Men, 4,000 women, about 1,500 youth. Out of these numbers, there are traders, taxi drivers, youth in the junior high and senior high schools. External beneficiaries are the foreigners visiting the sites.
FUTURE
The community is in the stage of producing a formal protocol to protect and manage their own resources and also get community members in managing their bio cultural assets.
Contributed by CIKOD / Abrono Organic Farmers
