Destruction of the environment in the Upper East Region could be summed up as callous, wicked and selfish.
Widespread bush burning and logging, otherwise known as chainsaw operation, is depleting the environment in the region, worsening the already erratic rainfall pattern and destroying arable lands.
The phenomena is leading to abysmal poverty, hunger, malnutrition and unemployment, compelling the youth, mostly young girls to migrate to the southern sector of the country for non-existent jobs.
Economic trees such as Shea nut and teak are burnt down by bushfires leading to loss of resources valuable in local communities.
Large scale and indiscriminate logging activities are taking place by highly place persons in the society at Talensi, Builsa north and south leading to the depletion of large span of forest reserves.
The excessive heat the area had experienced for the past 10 years had led to the incidence of Cerebral-Spinal Meningitis, CSM.
Expert say degradation of environment contributes to climate change, which has adverse effect on human and animal health, social integration as well as the economic well-being of the people.
It is against this bottleneck that the Presbyterian Agriculture Satiation in Garu, in collaboration with Oxfam-Ghana is running a climate change project for three years.
The projects seeks to achieve four main objectives look at access, climate change and its impact, sensitizing farmers and building the capacity of farmers on new agronomic practices.
The Project Manager of the Presbyterian Agriculture Satiation in Garu, Obed Asunka, said climate change has come to stay, hence the need to put in place measures to mitigate the impact of climate change.
This came to light at the World Teachers day celebration in Zebila.
He said currently the project is embarking on an activity call one man one tree, saying the move has help reduce the level of indiscriminate cutting of trees in the area.
Mr. Asunka said they have also developed an energy conserving stoves and they have trained women and they are going round the communities to build the stoves to help minimize the level of indiscriminate cutting of trees.
The project is also assisting women in the area bee-keeping, soap making, dry season gardening, livestock rearing among others which will go a long way to minimize climate change.
Mr. Asunka appealed to research centres in the country to come out with new varieties that can be drought resistant, flood resistant and early maturing varieties.
He therefore appealed to the Ghana Education Service to factor in climate change activities in all their programs.
GBC
