Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
20
Women environmental pacesetters
of Jachie
Olivia Agbenyega and William Oduro
Introduction: Jachie women - The pacesetters
In most societies, women, when given the opportunity, have always played
important roles as pacesetters. With the appropriate encouragement they are able
to participate in activities that promote their welfare and the welfare of their
communities. Traditionally, where it would ultimately benefit their families and
communities, women have been known to engage in environmental activities
that require a lot of sacrifice. The activities of the Jachie women's group are
remarkable examples of what women can do when faced with challenges.
Jachie is one of the towns located in the dry semi-deciduous forest ecosystem
of Ghana (Map B). In recent times, the semi-deciduous forest ecosystem has
undergone a lot of changes. The changes include severe land degradation due to
growing population and its attendant increases in the use of natural resources.
This situation poses a threat to future food production (Shiferaw and Holden,
2000). Even so, in villages such as Jachie, a few patches of forest lands still in
their pristine state remind us of what is left of the past. The women of Jachie are
determined to protect and develop these remnants of forest lands for themselves,
their community, and for future generations.
The PLEC women's project at Jachie was launched in 1993 to improve agro-
biodiversity. The process of agrobiodiversity conservation was to be accompanied
by the development of village-level institutions to serve as a basis for sustainable
management of natural resources. It was realized during the creation of the project
that the success of any intervention in regenerating the degraded farmlands would
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