The Crop Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has held a high-level stakeholder engagement in Kumasi as part of efforts to roll out its new environmental restoration initiative, the EMBRACE Project.
The meeting brought together officials from the Forestry Commission, community leaders, landowners, and researchers to deliberate on how best to implement the project, which seeks to restore degraded lands, promote agroforestry, and revive lost indigenous crops in Ghana.
Dubbed “Engaging Local Communities in Endangered Trees and Minor Crops Utilisation for Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihood Enrichment”, the EMBRACE Project is a three-year initiative that was launched in November 2024. It is being implemented in both Ghana and Kenya, with the goal of supporting sustainable land use practices and empowering marginalized communities—especially women and youth.
Speaking to the media, the Director of CSIR-CRI, Professor Maxwell Asante, explained that the project is focused on cultivating both trees and underutilised indigenous crops which are facing extinction due to environmental degradation and changing agricultural practices.
“Our main aim is to cultivate trees and also bring back some indigenous crops that are gradually disappearing from the country—for their medicinal and economic value. This is more of an agroforestry project where we combine tree-planting with crop cultivation to ensure long-term environmental sustainability,” he said.
Prof. Asante emphasized that Ghana is losing many of its traditional minor crops, and the EMBRACE Project offers a pathway to preserve and commercialize them for future generations.
Dr. Clement Oppong Peprah, EMBRACE Project Coordinator, also highlighted the scope of the project since its launch.
“Since November last year, we’ve visited 41 communities in Ghana and 25 in Kenya. From these, we have selected 15 communities in Ghana—spread across the Ashanti, Ahafo, and Western North regions—and 10 in Kenya,” Dr. Peprah said.
He further disclosed that the project has so far secured one hectare of land in five communities within each selected Ghanaian region for the establishment of nurseries and agroforestry farmsteads.
The EMBRACE Project is designed to create agrosilvicultural farms, train community members in sustainable farming practices, and promote biodiversity through the cultivation of endangered tree species and minor crops.
Scientists and local farmers will collaborate to identify and propagate lost crop varieties while working toward improved community livelihoods and climate resilience.
The initiative aligns with broader national and international efforts to combat land degradation, boost agricultural productivity, and conserve biodiversity in vulnerable ecosystems.
Source : Oyerepafmonline.com / Joseph Marfo
