Welcome - AgNRM
USAID Ghana Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (AgNRM) Project
Background
The Government of Ghana (GoG) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have made tremendous progress in addressing food insecurity in northern Ghana. Yet, as natural resources across the north are stressed by climate change, agricultural pressures, and increasing demands for water, food, and energy, further advances in food security require safeguarding natural resources.
Project Duration
2016 - 2018
Sustainable Economic Development
Through USAID, the Ghana Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (AgNRM) project addressed issues related to natural resource management in northern Ghana. AgNRM provided a scalable, integrated landscapes approach to support sustainable economic development and rural livelihoods; improved nutritional outcomes; expanded climate change related risk management options; and strengthened northern Ghana’s natural resource base
Implementing AgNRM, Winrock International and its partners — Nature Conservation Research Centre, and the Center for Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies — work to align development with conservation, responded to the interdependencies of ecosystems, livelihoods, and health; and forged natural resource private sector partnerships.
Approach and Anticipated Outcomes
AgNRM achieved its goals of poverty reduction through sustainable increases in wealth and nutrition from natural and non-traditional agriculture products by addressing environmental, agricultural, governance, and natural resource management challenges. AgNRM interventions were expected to result in transformative changes by the adoption of improved practices, technologies, and behaviors; better functioning value chains (including shea and other natural products) and governance structures; more equitable access to land and other resources; and increased capacity of organizations to manage natural resources. AgNRM aimed to address environmental degradation and enhanced rural livelihoods. These activities were implemented under four project outcomes:
- Increased Incomes from Natural Resource Products (NRPs)
- Improved Food and Nutritional Security
- Increased Farmer and Community Security/Access to Land and Natural Resources
- Strengthened Environmental Stewardship
Ghana's Community Resource Management Areas
AgNRM’s geographic targeting followed the successful Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) model promoted by the Wildlife Division of the GoG’s Forestry Commission for sustainable resource management in Ghana. The CREMA approach addressed landscape-level protected area management and biodiversity conservation while catalyzing sustainable livelihoods in natural resource products. The project implemented activities in eight target CREMAs, located in three ecological corridors in northern Ghana.
The project worked to strengthen key tree crop value chains, including shea and moringa; integrating innovations in climate-smart agriculture, as well as increasing access to water for both household and productive uses with Winrock’s Multiple Use Water Services approach.
Funding
US $24,900,000
Strategic Activities Include:
- Strengthen shea, moringa, dawadawa, and tamarind value chains
- Organize and strengthen producer groups
- Leverage private sector investments
- Promote conservation and climate-smart agriculture, home gardens, and agroforesty alongside traditional production methods
- Improve household water access
- Form and strengthen village savings and loan associations
- Increase access to nutritious foods and training on nutrition
- Increase understanding of land and water access rights
- Increase women’s access to land and other productive resources
- Facilitate demarcation of boundaries and develop community and CREMA-level land use plans
- Support dispute mediation and interest-based negotiations
- Strenghten the capacity of CREMAs to implement community-based natural resource management
- Facilitate transboundary solutions via workshops and exchanges
- Convene stakeholders and conduct ecosystem services valuation
Implementing Partners
Winrock International, Nature Conservation Research Centre Center for Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies
Key Staff Contact
Gloria Odoom
AOR, Agriculture Specialist
Economic Growth Office
USAID/Ghana
Email: godoom@usaid.gov
Dr. Julie Fischer
Chief of Party
Feed the Future Ghana AgNRM Project
E-mail: Julie.Fischer@winrock.org