Campaign Status

Ongoing Offline: The campaign is currently ongoing online and, thus still in the process of collecting funds. 

Summary

The campaign aims to increase income for 350 people through training in income generation.

Challenge

In the village of Torandougou, a member of AGEREF Comoé – Léraba, there once existed a small forest serving as the site for the initiation of village adolescents and the practice of various religious rites. This forest was rich in plant and faunal species, hosting numerous medicinal plants and small game. In times of illness, all the village's inhabitants would visit this forest to collect leaves, bark, and other roots for treatment, making it essential for the community's well-being. However, due to the village's increasing population and the expansion of agricultural areas, this forest's existence is now under severe threat, leading to a gradual depletion of its resources.

This situation is reflective of the entire Comoé province in Burkina Faso. The ecosystems in Comoé province are undergoing significant changes.

Data on land use in Comoé province, as provided by BDOT maps from 1992, 2002, and 2012, reveals that agricultural land, which accounted for 13% of the area in 1992 and nearly 20% in 2002, is projected to increase to 37% by 2022. In contrast, the savannahs and steppes, which covered 78% of the total area of the province in 1992 and 70% in 2002, are expected to only cover 51% in 2022 (Master Planning and Management Plan Comoé Basin Waters). Over the same period, residential areas, courtyards, and bodies of water remained relatively stable. The most significant landscape changes involve the decline of shrub savannahs and marshy meadows, accompanied by an expansion of rural areas. The situation of gallery forests is particularly critical, and they are at risk of disappearing unless action is taken.

Solution

The Natural Resources and Wildlife Management Association (AGEREF) of Comoé-Léraba aims to counter this trend through the project focused on conserving Indigenous and Community Heritage Areas and Territories (APAC) and promoting a green social enterprise.

The project aimed at conserving APAC and promoting a green social enterprise, initiated by AGEREF Comoé-Léraba, seeks to reverse this trend. It will focus on:

- Restoring and preserving 05 ICCAs while enhancing their management and local governance.

- Cultivating civic engagement within communities to advocate for the protection of these conservation spaces.

- Supporting the development of local communities by promoting a green social enterprise.

Funds raised from the crowdfunding campaign will be utilized for the following purposes:

• Capacity building activities for local communities, encompassing organizational, managerial, technical, mediation, and conflict management training, to enhance the conservation of 05 APACs.
• Development and management activities of these APACs.

• Reforestation initiatives on the perimeters of APACs using local plant species, notably mango and cashew trees.
• The establishment of a green social enterprise, particularly a mango drying facility, to contribute to local development within the project intervention area.