Journal of Global Resources

Volume 3

July 2016
Page 89-96
ISSN: 2395-3160 (Print), 2455-2445 (Online)

11
FUNCTIONAL FORESTRY EXTENSION: AMISSING LINK IN PROMOTING FOREST
PLANTATION DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA
S. K. Nketiah1, E. M. Kumeh2 and O. Owusu-Addai312Programme Director, Tropenbos International, Kumasi, Ghana
Email: ksnketiah@yahoo.com

Project Assistant, Landscape Restoration Project, Tropenbos International, Kumasi, Ghanam
Email: ekumehmensah@gmail.com
3

Programmes Officer, Civic Response, East Legon, Accra.
Email: greatobadiah@yahoo.com

Abstract: Ghana has over the years initiated various programmes and schemes aimed atpromoting plantation development. The success rate of these programmes and schemes has
not been as expected, particularly, but not exclusively due to the absence of a functional
forestry extension system. This ultimately appears to be the missing link that will provide thetechnical backing to support investors and smallholder farmers who take to plantation
development. Some private investors have put in place their own structures to respond to thisneed. However, the majority of farmers and investors do not have access to this crucial input
to make their drive for plantation development a success. This paper examines the situationon the ground based on a field survey, and discusses the need and options for addressing thismissing link. It concludes by recommending pragmatic solutions, including institutionalalignments, that could result in a functional forestry extension system that promotes forest
plantation development.
Key words: Forestry Extension, Forest Plantations, Small holder Farmers.
INTRODUCTION
Background and Rationale
Forest ecosystem restoration is a priority on the global agenda towards sustainable
development. This is because about 13,468 ha of forests are lost annually – equivalent to 36
football fields per minute (WWF, 2014). Deforestation and forest degradation result in: loss of
biodiversity and livelihoods; disruption of water cycles; soil erosion and increased emission ofGreen House Gases (GHGs).In the quest to tackle deforestation and forest degradation andminimise its impacts, numerous common but differentiated actions are being implement
globally (Holloway and Giandomenico, 2009). In Ghana, the government has enacted anumber of policies and legislations aimed at empowering and harmonising efforts with nonstate actors, including smallholder forest plantation developers, to tackle deforestation
andforest degradation. Among these policies and legislations are: the Timber Resources
Management Act (547) of 1998 and its amendment (Act 617) in 2002; the Forest Plantation
Development Fund Act (583) of 2000 and its amendment (Act 623) in 2002; the Forest andWildlife policy 2012; and the National Climate Change Policy 2012. Furthermore, somestrategies and activities that promote plantation development have been implemented.
89

Examples include the: Biodiversity Conservation Strategy; Natural Resource Management
Programme (NRMP I) Phase I; Forestry Development Master Plan (1996 – 2020); and Ghana
Forest Plantation Strategy: 2015 – 2040. All these underscore the dedication of theGovernment of Ghana to tackle deforestation and mitigate its impacts.
Research suggests that efforts directed towards smallholder plantation development have
not yielded commensurate results. This has been attributed to the fact that communities andsmallholder plantation developers lack the capacity to successfully plan, implement andmanage smallholder plantations (TBI Ghana, 2014). A visit to a typical Modified Taungya
System (MTS) plantation and smallholder forest plantations shows low survival rate and poor
forms of established stands. This could be attributed to bad seed sources or absence oftechnical know-how on the part of the smallholder plantation developer. Either way,smallholder plantation developers have been encouraged into plantation development devoidof the requisite knowledge and skills (Forestry Commission, 2013a; Forestry Commission,
2013b). Moreover, forestry extension systems have not been developed to augment thecapacity needs of these smallholder plantation developers to function effectively. In this paper,
we report;
1) existing forestry extension arrangements within Ghana’s forestry sector,2) the extension needs of forestry stakeholders, and
3) propose pragmatic ways of improving forestry extension in Ghana to boost the capacityof smallholder plantation developers for enhanced forest plantation development.
Study Area
The issues presented here are findings from 12 communities within 3 forest districts in
Ghana:Sunyani (Asiakwa, Fiapre, Dumesua and Abesim), Offinso (Asempaneye, Nkwankwa,
Abofour and Techiman) and Oda (Aprokumase, Asuoso, Akroso, Aboabo) These forest
districts have a rich history in smallholder forest plantation development hence initiatives thatprovided forestry extension aremost likely to be prevalent in them.
Research design, data collection and analysis
A mixed method approach (quantitative and qualitative) was used for this study. In accordancewith recommendations from (Grinnell and Unrau 2014), responses were collected until theteam was confident that it was learning nothing from subsequent interviews. This was attainedwith 94 stakeholders: Forest Services Division (14); Plantation Developers (32); farmers (41),
Civil Society Organisations (2); Traditional leaders/landowners (2); Ministry of Food andAgriculture (3).Data collected was cleaned, coded and subjected to analyses using Statistical
Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) 20.0. Mainly descriptive statistics were employed. Also,
Microsoft (MS) Excel was used to generate a chart to enhance clarity.
Stakeholder Analysis
Forestry extension stakeholders can be broadly categorized into extension service providers
and beneficiaries (clientele) (Anderson and Farrington, 1996). In the context of this study, theForestry Commission, MoFA, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), academia andprivate practitioners were identified as forestry extension service providers. Their roles
included; capacity building in plantation development, linking plantation developers and tree90

growers to service providers (finance) and markets. Smallholder plantation developers,
landowners, Traditional Authorities (TAs), farmers, Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP)
collectors and forest fringe communities were identified as potential clients or beneficiaries offorestry extension. Other stakeholders include financiers/donors who support the operations ofboth government and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).Table 1 is a summary of the
stakeholder analysis.
Table 1 Summarised stakeholder analysis on forestry extension service delivery in Ghana.
Stakeholder

Stakeholder’sInterest

Perceived Problem

Resource

ForestServices
Division,
Forestry
Commission
Ministry ofFood andAgriculture

Improved
management offorest resources,
includingplantations
Improved
agricultural
production andpoverty
alleviation

Non availability of extension
framework, limited trained
staff and resources forforestry extension

Willingness to carryout forestry
extension services

Limited availability oflogistics and funds tooperationalize extension
services
Adulteration of extension
message to farmers

Willingness toprovide extension
services
Trained staff toprovide extension
services

Civil Society
Organisations

Improvedcommunity
participation inplantation
development andpoverty
alleviation
Improved
benefits fromplantations

Limited smallholder
participation in plantation
development
Lack of funds to actively
operationalize projects,
including forestry extension

Could mobilise
funds to support
forestry extension
services
Have trained staff tocarry out forestry
extension services
Desire to invest in
plantation
development

Plantation
developers(smallholders)

Traditional
Authorities
and/orlandowners

Improved used of
traditional fallow
lands

Communities(farmers)

Improvedavailability of fuelwood and Nontimber forest
products

Lack of adequate support
from FSD
Lack of capacity to effectively
establish and manage
plantations
Plantation development
could hold up lands set aside
for development in theimmediate future.
Lack of desire to effectively
integrate trees with crops

Can mobilise
communities toparticipate inplantation
development
Strength in numbers
to protect
plantations fromillegalities

MandateEffective
management of
Ghana’s forest
resources
To provide
relevant
information andtraining for
improved
agricultural
production
Not applicableNot applicableNot applicableNot applicable

Forestry Extension Arrangements in Ghana
Analysis of data revealed that there is a low awareness of a structured mechanism for forestry
extension delivery. From the Figure, 28.6% of FSD staff claimed that there is structured
forestry extension service within the FC. They see extension service as part of the FC’s
mandate. According to them, the use of Range Supervisors/ Technical Officers (TOs), theCustomer Service Concept and the Wildfire Campaign Concept were all structured
91mechanisms for forestry extension service delivery. Upon probing further, it was revealed that
all those instruments were implemented under projects and are currently dysfunctional.
Majority of FSD staff (71.4%) had a contrary view. According to them the extension services
that they provided does not imply the presence of a structured extension service within theforestry commission, because the extension activities that were carried outare circumstantial,
and not as a job description. This view was shared by 81.2% of plantation developers whoreported that extension services rendered by FSD staff are unplanned and ad hoc. It was
mainly in response to events like bush fire outbreaks. They further indicated that most of theextension services were provided by forest guards, technical officers and Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs) as and when, they encounter people carrying out plantation activities.
They also indicated that NGOs provide some form of forestry extension information
predominantly via mass media (radio), workshops and sometimes field visits. This wascorroborated by 73.2% of the farmers interviewed.
Extension Needs of Forestry Stakeholdersa) Needs of informal forestry extension service providers
It became apparent that informal forestry extension service providers, including NGOs, CBOs
and FSD staff are constrained in two main ways: underdeveloped capacity (knowledge andskill); and lack of logistics. Most informal extension service providers lack qualified
personnel,havepoor communication skills and low media awareness and are not au fait with
innovations that guarantee improved performance with regards to plantation establishment
and management.Furthermore, it was reported that, their operations were smothered by: lackof funds; inadequate means of transport; lack of supporting accessories and equipment suchas computers, projectors, diameter tapes and Global Positioning System (GPS) gadgets; andpoor organization of people at the grassroots.
b) Extension needs of beneficiaries
Beneficiaries of extension activities revealed that, the success of their operations dependon
the availability of credible information and support in at least one and/or a combination of thefollowing: land acquisition; seed collection; nursery establishment; plantation management(including wildfire management); plantation accounting and record keeping; harvesting;marketing; and forest benefit sharing.
Lessons from Directorate of Agricultural Extension Services (DAES) on Effective
Extension Service Delivery
Interviews with staff of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (the Brong-Ahafo Regional
Extension Officer, District Development Officers (DDOs) and Agricultural Extension Agents(AEAs) across the three (3) Forest Districts) revealed that extension service is well structured
in MoFA. Under the structure (the Directorate of Agricultural Extension Services), Agricultural
Extension Agents (AEAs) are responsible for fieldwork (transmission of information fromresearch to farmers) in their operational areas. District Development Officers (DDOs) play adual role of providing technical backstopping and supervising the aforementioned AEAs.
Furthermore, District/ Municipal/Metropolitan Development Officers (DMMDOs), and Regional
Extension Officers play a supervisory role to improve the performance of all extension officers
within their jurisdiction. Also, all people along the chain as well as clients play an important role92

in policy formulation to drive the quality of extension service delivery. However, the directorate
has been ineffective in meeting the extension needs of farmers due the following: bureaucracy
in decision-making; excessive liberalism; inadequate supervision; insufficient qualified
personnel (high AEAs-to-farmer ratios), lack of logistics (vehicles, communication materials),
undue interference of NGOs, lack of funds for operations and poor conditions of service.
Analysis of findings
Existence of a structured forestry extension service in Ghana
Our results suggest that there is some informal information sharing between forestry staff andplantation developers (a top down approach). Although a review of literature indicates that the
Resource Management Support Centre (RMSC) of FC should “participate in the exchange oftechnical expertise locally and internationally” (FC, 2015), none of the respondents even within
the FSD, including those who affirmed to the existence of a structured forestry extension
service, attested to receiving any kind of support from the RMSC. Thus, it can conveniently beinferred that no structured forestry extension service unit exists within the FC.
Extension needs of forestry stakeholders
The study revealed that the lack of qualified personnel, poor linkage with researchers to keepthem up to date with innovations, lack of logistics and funds limit the operations of informal
forestry extension service providers. In addition, beneficiaries require information on landacquisition, seed collection, nursery establishment, plantation management, record keeping,
SRAs and alternative livelihood schemes.
Pragmatic mechanisms for improving forestry extension service delivery in Ghana• Policy Environment
A good policy is the backbone of the success of most forestry and forestry related
interventions. Ghana’s 1996 -2020 forestry development master plan seeks to promote publicawareness and involvement of rural people in forestry and wildlife conservation. This objective
is reiterated in the current Forest and Wildlife Policy 2012 – “provide advisory services througha dynamic forestry extension service to promote social acceptance of forestry”. Our results
show that there is no evidence regarding the existence of a structured forestry extension
service directorate to drive this recurrent objective.
On the bright side, the Draft Plantation Strategy 2015 – 2040 acknowledges the role offorestry extension in achieving its fourth objective – “increase investment in research anddevelopment, extension, training and capacity building for forest plantation development”. It
identifies the facilitation of linkages between the forest plantation industry, the forest managers
and research and academia to ensure effective transfer of technology and the provision of
feedbacks to promote the adoption of best practices generated by research.
Furthermore, it recognizes collaboration with the following entities to provide extension
services: plantation developer associations or groups; relevant Civil Society Organizations(NGOs); and the National Service Secretariat. However, our results show that these groups
have limited capacity to undertake the above. History shows that the enactment of appropriate
policies has not been the problem but rather the lack of a dedicated department to drive policy
objectives.
93• Institutional Alignments
Three options are suggested for strengthening the organisational and institutional capacity offorestry extension service providers to improve their operations in Ghana. From our results, itis worth noting that the options can only attain a maximum impact if mechanisms that aredesigned are further integrated into civil society organisations so as to utilise them in theirforestry extension activities.
Option 1: Formation of a forestry extension service directorate within the Forestry
Commission
The experience of some countries suggests that, the formation of a recognized forestry
extension service could improve a country’s ability to sustainably manage its forest landscapesand that of others. For example, the Danish Forestry Extension has since 1904 provided
forestry extension services to plantation developers. As at now, it has helped to sustainably
manage 80,000ha of private plantation (State of Green, 2014).
Recent events also suggest that Civil Society seems to be advocating for devolution of forest
management rights to communities (FORIG, 2014). Should this ever happen, forestry
extension will be required more than ever for effective community forest management.
Establishing a directorate of forestry extension service will be a strategic choice since it will
position the Forestry Commission to meet future extension needs, while creating an avenue
for employment. Also, a structured unit that deals exclusively with forest extension services will
result in a greater inclusion of forestry extension issues in development frameworks.
Option 2: Strengthening existing informal forestry extension service delivery within theForestry Commission
Another alternative for improving forestry extension service delivery in Ghana is to strengthen
the existing informal framework. As shown from our results, some forest guards, range
supervisors and technical officers provide forestry extension services to beneficiaries at no
cost at all. This informal mechanism for forestry extension service delivery could be retooled.
Existing technical stuff can be trained, equipped and incentivised to deliver forestry extension
services. By incorporating extension service delivery in the job description of the technicalofficer and recruiting others to augment their relative low numbers, the forestry extension
needs of smallholder forest plantation developers can be met.
Option 3: Confederacy of the Directorate of Agricultural Extension and the Forestry
Service Division
The Directorate of Agricultural Extension Services (DAES) of MOFA has vast experience inextension service delivery in terms of organization and nationwide coverage. Given theirexpertise and the global recognition of agro forestry as a tool for mitigating climate change,
managing and enhancing the ecological integrity of savannah ecosystems (the last two of
which are integral parts of the 2012 forest and wildlife policy), it is logical to propose that amerger between these two entities (DAES and FSD) could yield some economies of scale. A
merger could further enhance the reputation of both entities, hence, their ability to solicit for
funds for their operations.

94

Training Arrangements
Effective forestry extension requires a variety of skill set; forestry, livelihoods, communication
skills, negotiation, advocacy and lobbying skills. These could be provided by facilitating
linkages between academia (training institutions) and forestry extension service delivery
agencies to produce forestry extension oriented (technical) graduates. Furthermore, regular inservice training could be used to develop the capacity of forestry extension service delivery
staff. Moreover, provisions could be made for exchange and mentorship programmes with
reputable forestry extension agencies such as. the Danish Forestry Extension Agency(Skovdyrkerne) to keep staff au fait with global forestry extension innovations as well as better
position them to effectively execute their mandate. In a nutshell, functional collaboration
between academia and FES providers is crucial for effective forestry extension.
Prompt and adequate supply of logistics
Our interactions with MOFA and other global examples (Negi, 2007), suggest that there is theneed for prompt and adequate supply of logistics to make forestry extension service effective.
There is the need for housing units for extension service staff, means of transport, and media
and communication equipment, like computers, projectors, as well as stationary. These must
be provided in a timely fashion, because plantation development, like agriculture in Ghana, isprimarily rain-fed and seasonal (Swamikannu and Berger, 2009).
Financing forestry extension in Ghana
Another critical success factor for a forestry extension service delivery is sustainable finance.
Consequently, in moving forward, there is the need to explore options for financing forestry
extension in Ghana. Here, instituting levies on plantation timber could be vital.The levy could
be seen as a long-term payment for the extension services that contributed to the success ofplantation timber under consideration. Another avenue could be allocating a percentage ofrevenue from confiscated or abandoned timber to forestry extension activities. In this case, thesaid percentage could be conceptualised as payment for re-planting the illegally harvested
trees.
Furthermore, Climate Funds and Payment for Environmental Services (PES) could be
reliable sources. Here, special levies can be placed on fuel products and the revenue used topromote forest plantation development, thus sinking some of the carbon dioxide contributions
from fossil fuel combustion. Finally, once established, the Forestry Extension Service delivery
unit could generate income by under taking consultancy services to mining firms and otherlocal and international agencies.
Concluding thoughts and the way forward
Ecosystem restoration remain a global priority and Ghana is putting in measures to restore its
degraded forest ecosystems, most of which, we have reported in this paper. Smallholder forest
plantation developers remain central to the successful implementation of most of theseschemes. Nonetheless, we have shown that they remain constrained by inadequate capacity
to effectively and efficiently engage in these restoration initiatives. We propose that developing
and implementing a functional forestry extension unit could bridge this gap and improvesmallholder forest plantation developers’ contributions. However, in moving forward, there is
the need to constitute a multi-stakeholder team to consider the options we have suggested in95

order to establish and prioritise the most effective and efficient way for forestry extension
development in Ghana. Further studies on the financial viability and feasibility of the options
suggested could generate information of particular interest to all forestry extension
stakeholders.
References
1. Agyeman, K. O., Amponsah, O., Braimah, I., and Lurumuah, S., 2012. “Commercial
Charcoal Production and Sustainable Community Development of the Upper West
Region, Ghana.” Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 5 (4).
2. Agyemang, V.K., 2006. Promoting smallholder plantations in Ghana. Arborvita 31, 6.
3. Anderson J. and Farrington, J. 1996. Forestry extension: facing the challenges of today
and tomorrow. Unasylva, (41) 184:3-12.
4. Food and Agriculture Organization 2012. 2012 State of the World’s Forests available atwww.fao.org/docrep/016/i3010e/i3010e.pdf Date accessed 4/08/2014.
5. Forestry Commission, 2013a. National Forest Plantation Development Program, Annual
Report 2012 available at http://www.ndpc.gov.gh/ GPRS/Dist%20 and%20Sec %20
APR%202012/SECTOR%202012%20APRs/Ministry%20of%20Lands%20&%20Natural%20Resources.pdf. Date accessed 08/07/2014.
6. Forestry Commission, 2013b Draft Ghana Forest Plantation Strategy: 2015 – 2040.
Availableat
http://www.fcghana.org/userfiles/publications/Plantation_Strategy.pdf
accessed 21/07/2014. Date accessed 20/07/2014
7. Forestry Commission, 2015. Functions of the Resource Management Support Centre.
Available at http://www.fcghana.org/page.php?page=46&section=22&typ=1&subs=252
accessed 24/08/2014.
8. Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, 2014. First national forestry conference. Keynote
Address by Nana Kobina Nketsiah, September, 2014.
9. Grinnell, R. M. Jr. and Unrau, Y. A., 2014. Social Work Research and Evaluation:
Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice. Oxford University Press.
10. Holloway, V. and Giandomenico, E., 2009. Carbon Planet White Paper: The History of
REDD Policy. Carbon Planet Limited. Adelaide.
11. Insaidoo, T.F.G., Ros-Tonen, M.A.F., Acheampong, E., 2010. Addressing forest
degradation and timber deficits: reforestation programmes in Ghana. ETFRN News 53,
230-239.
12. Ministry of Lands and Forestry, 1996. Forestry development master plan 1996 – 2020.
Availableat
http://www.clientearth.org/external-resources/ghana/forests-andwildlife/1996-forestry-development-master-plan.pdf. Accessed on 04/07/2014.
13. StateofGreen,
2014.
DanishForestry
Extension.
Availableathttps://stateofgreen.com/en/profiles/danish-forestry-extension. Access on 25/08/2014.
14. Swamikannu, N. and Berger, T., 2009. Impacts of Small Scale Irrigation on Poverty
Dynamics in the White-Volta Basin of Ghana: An Integrated Multi-Agent Simulation
Approach. CGIAR, Indonesia.
15. Tropenbos International Ghana, 2014. Proceedings of Landscape Restoration Project
Inception Workshop held at Forestry Commission Training Centre, Kumasi, on 5thAugust, 2014.
16. Willis B. G., 2005. Cognitive Interviewing: A tool for improving questionnaire design.
Sage Publications Inc. UK.
17. World Wildlife Fund (WWF), 2014. Responsible forestry available at
http://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/responsible-forestry.Accessed on 25/08/2014.

96