body-container-line-1
24.04.2015 Special Report

Recognizing Community Efforts To Reduce Poverty

By UNDP
Recognizing Community Efforts To Reduce Poverty
24.04.2015 LISTEN

Accra, 24th April, 2015 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Small Grants Programme (SGP) of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Ga West Municipal Assembly is hosting a national event to recognize the outstanding efforts of the Integrated Development in Focus (IDF) and the Yaoman community to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity . The event will take place on Tuesday, April 28, 2015 at Yaoman, in the Ga West District of the Greater Accra Region.

This is a sequel to an award presented to the IDF as the winner of the 2014 Equator Prize for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Equator Prize, organized by the Equator Initiative within the United Nations Development Programme, is awarded biennially to recognize outstanding community efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The IDF was awarded for equipping women with financial and technical resources to restore degraded lands and develop small-scale enterprises.

The Equator Prize acknowledged the efforts of the IDF to improve crop yields and local incomes of women-led groups that planted three million trees and restored 350 hectares of land. The organisation trained farmers in organic farming techniques and supported access to new and more lucrative markets for their produce. A model, which required that each trained farmer passes on acquired knowledge to five other farmers, has engendered growth. The IDF also launched small-scale businesses in livestock rearing, composting and organic vegetable cultivation and promoted strong partnerships with local municipalities, chiefs and elders to effectively manage their environment.

“This worthy example by the Integrated Development in Focus in empowering the lives of the everyday Ghanaian deserves commendation. Its success story is illustrative of how civil society groups can work in support of the development aspirations of government”, says Mr. Dominic Sam, UNDP Country Director.

The UNDP-led local event is to showcase success stories, deepen local recognition for the sterling example of the IDF and facilitate lesson learning. The event will be attended by the chief and people of the Equator Prize–winning community Yaoman, members of the Ga West Municipal Assembly, Member of Parliament for the area, civil society, media, local authorities and UNDP.

body-container-line