Over 9,000 new trees have been planted in Lilongwe since the start of the project.

This project has had an impact on the wider community as well as the immediate beneficiaries as knowledge has been shared with community members which has encouraged more tree planting in the area.

A big part of this project has been focused on training: agroforestry training for local farmers, environmental conservation awareness training for community members, sustainable land use and nursery establishment to name but a few.

Previous research from different parts of the tropics have shown that community-based management can be more effective than protected areas in slowing deforestation.

In response to the threat to livelihoods posed by increasing desertification, members of the Kanpour Women Association (KWA) resolved to take responsibility for the regeneration barren land in Kanpour in the Lawra district and its adjoining communities in the Upper West Region.

Since the start of the project in August 2010, the scheme has raised and planted out 40,000 seedlings of five different tree species.

The initiative is managed by Our Lady of Mercy Community Services based in Accra, Ghana and aims to plant 1000 mango trees in community orchards and provide training to local people on planting and cultivation of the trees.

Togo, Nigeria and Ghana have the highest rates of deforestation out of 65 nations, according to a study released today which surveyed a total of 1.66 billion hectares of tropical forest around the world.

People’s lives are positively changing because of the harvest from trees especially fruits trees.