The first major project supported by Hotels for Trees is a reforestation project along the riverbanks of the Yarigatanga Rivier in the Bongo District in Noord-Ghana. The great thing about this project is that it is executed in cooperation with 1600 local farmers and villages.

Desertification

With just 70 days of rain a year and poor soil, desertification forms a threat. Although 90% of the population in this district depends on agriculture, 60% of the land is heavily demoted and can therefore not be used for this purpose. Hence farmers feel the need to move closer and closer to the river banks. The deforestation of the river banks leads to erosion, causing the river and the VEA reservoir to silt up. In the long term, this also means that farmers will no longer be able to irrigate.

Bank restoration

In order to turn the tide in the Yarigatanga River basin, Trees for All is aiming to plant 220,000 trees, create 150 hectares of agro-forestry and reinforce the river banks. 20 local villages in the vicinity of the river will be involved and 1600 farmers will be trained in sustainable land use. Examples are filtering and retaining water, fertilization of the soil, the fight against erosion, offering land to flora and fauna and providing in the sustenance of the local population.  This to prevent poverty and to create a more resilient and future-proof ecosystem.

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