Developing a green economy in Togo to relieve pressure on the forest and boosting incomes

Elephants have a deep-seated fear of bees, so they tend to give them a wide berth when beehives are placed every 20 m or so along any migratory corridor they use. Beekeeping can, thus, protect crops from being trampled by elephant herds and, thereby, reduce conflicts with human settlements. Since elephant herds pass through Togo's Fazao-Malfakassa National Park on a regular basis, beekeeping was one of the three livelihoods that UNESCO developed with rural communities between June 2019 and August 2022 to supplement their income while protecting local biodiversity. The project was designed and implemented by UNESCO using US$ 970,396 in funding from the joint India-United Nations Development Partnership Fund obtained through the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation.

In Togo, people tend to rely on their environment not only for their livelihood but also for their food and water security. However, many of the plant and animal species upon which people depend have been disappearing as a consequence of rapid population growth and the unsustainable exploitation of these resources.

In order to relieve human pressure on the forest, UNESCO's Man and Biosphere programme implemented this three-year project in collaboration with the Togolese Ministry of Environment and Forest Resources, local non-governmental organizations and rural communities.

Ms Enang Moma from UNESCO's Abuja Office in Nigeria explains how, 'in the first phase, UNESCO undertook a series of studies and surveys to determine the status of biodiversity and identify market opportunities. These included a stakeholder mapping exercise, consultations with the local community, a needs assessment, a socio-economic study, an inventory of biodiversity in the Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, a market survey and product analyses'.

The socio-economic study revealed that the inhabitants were mainly farmers, hunters and collectors of forest products. The farmers grew crops such as maize, yams, soya, cowpeas and sesame seeds. Some also harvested honey and shea butter from the kernels of a tree (Vitelleria paradoxa) but these products earned them less than US$ 2 per day.

Local women were shown how to collect the nuts of the wild-growing shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), shell them and boil the kernels with water from which they were able to scoop the butter once it had solidified. According to the president of the Fazao village cooperative, Ms Afissa Ibrahim, 'this process has enabled us to sell our kernels at a higher price than in previous years'. The women also learned that this fatty vegetable oil had medicinal properties and could be used as an ointment and moisturizer for the skin, offering further commercial prospects.

The recovery of shea kernels has reduced the felling of shea trees for charcoal production in the area. The women who collect the kernels have undertaken a modest campaign to raise awareness within the community of the need to protect the shea tree, now that they know its value.

For Ms Bèzéwapéyélé Ali, 'UNESCO has brought us great relief by teaching us how to create wealth from our forest resources without destroying them. Before, we earned very little from our farm products because we did not know how to handle them. With the UNESCO project, most of us women and young people have been taught how to run sustainable livelihoods and we now have a better income to take care of our needs'.

Meanwhile, the promotion of sheep- and goat-farming has converted poachers into ruminant breeders. The breeding of domestic animals has allowed local wildlife populations to recover. This, in turn, has made it easier to spot wild animals, offering potential for animal gazing to become a tourist activity.

In parallel, manure pits have been built to produce compost. This natural fertilizer has boosted agricultural productivity and made farms more sustainable. At the same time, the increase in the number of livestock has added animal protein to the population's diet and brought in more revenue.