Abu Jinapor supports farmers around Mole Park after elephants destroyed their farms
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, has extended support to some 150 farmers from five communities on the fringes of the Mole Wildlife National Park whose farms were destroyed by elephants.
The support, which came in the form of training and provision of inputs for the new farming season, benefited farmers from Kabampe, Kananto, Larabanga, Murugu and Mognori.
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At the instance of Mr Jinapor, who is also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo in the Savannah Region, officials of the Mole National Park trained the farmers in efficient methods to help mitigate elephant crop raiding on their farms.
In addition, the farmers were trained in how to prepare pepper-grease line fences around their farms to ward off elephants.
Training important
At the end of the training programme for the beneficiary farmers at the Mole National Park, the Manager of the park, Mr Ali Mahama, commended the MP for the support.
He said the training would help protect the farms from future attacks by the elephants, while the inputs would enable the farmers to continue their farming activities during the farming season.
He said the initiative — a collaboration between the MP and the management of the park — was to secure the livelihoods of the farmers and protect the park and the elephant population.
A female beneficiary farmer, Ms Ayishetu Braimah, expressed gratitude to the MP for the support to protect their livelihoods, the park and its elephants population, and appealed for such support every year.
Background
The Mole National Park, located in Damongo, the capital of the Savannah Region, is Ghana’s premier wildlife protected area covering a land area of approximately 4,577 kilometres square.
Located geographically in the Guinea Savannah Ecological Zone of Northern Ghana, it is managed by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission.
The park is considered globally as an important biodiversity hotspot, and holds the largest and most viable population of Savannah elephants in the country.
Aside from being home to the largest mammal on land, other species found in the park include the leopard, hyena, roan, antelope, hartebeest, bushbuck, kob, baboon and the green monkey.
It is bordered by over 33 communities, with a total estimated population of approximately 50,000 engaged mainly in farming, rural agro-based industries, petty trading and to a lesser extent ecotourism as the major socio-economic activities in the area.
