By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The Gola Rain Forest Conservation Limited with funds from Lorna Young foundation has on the 10th June 2021 held evaluation assessment to mark the end of the Cocoa Framers Voice project in Kenema.
The project according to officials was meant to help ease communication among cocoa farmers at the forest edge communities and to bring them under one association that can help them learn and share new ideas in cocoa farming in their communities.
In his statement, the Manager of the Gola Rain Forest Conservation limited, Francis Musa Massaquoi said their primary function is to support and protect the Gola rainforest national park including supporting the livelihood of the people that are residents within the forest communities.
He said the radio teaching programme enhances the farmers to get additional ideas of the planting period and the different stages of cocoa farming and to enable the women to own cocoa plantations rather than depending on family plantations which most time bring conflict within the family.
Massaquoi added that as a way to ascertain the protection of the forest, Gola rainforest has Forest Rangers who work alongside the national security forces in patrolling the forest and ensuring that no illegal activities occur in the national park. He said they perform their corporate social responsibilities by supporting and improving livelihoods in the forest edge communities, and providing scholarships to students
He disclosed that from the survey conducted, they realized that most of the people that live close to the forest are cocoa farmers which is why they decided to support them by establishing the cocoa department that encourages farmers to form groups, and ensure that cocoa farmers get access to international markets rather than depending on agents that buy cocoa on behalf of others.
The Technical Advisor, Conservation Department Gola Rainforest, Bjorn Horvath said the project was initiated by using bottom-top approach so that every farmer is able to join the association in each of the forest edge communities with their leader being chosen through elections.
Speaking on behalf of Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL) project coordinator, Emurana Kemoh Sowa said the introduction of the radio programme to support the farmers was a step in the rights direction and that CSSL and Gola rainforest are strong partners in ensuring that the national park is well protected.
He added that, with the intervention of the company, he believes that the communities will make good use of the skills acquired through the radio learning programme to improve their production.
Sowa called on the community farmers to continue with the ideas learned so that the programme will be sustainable and would enable the farmers get a good yield from their proceeds.
One of the cocoa farmers, Hawa Daramy from Njagbama community Malema chiefdom thanked the Gola Forest establishment for empowering them with more ideas in cocoa farming especially through the radio that has brought them together as farmers to learn about how they could do their farming.
She said over the years, they as women were not recognized in terms of owning plantations in their villages but through the programme, they have been able to acquire land from their families for their own farms.
She said their involvement in cocoa farming has helped them in solving most of the financial problems in their homes.
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