Regreening the Savannah: Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) in Ghana's Kassena-Nankana West District

Strategic Insights -

For decades, the people of Kassena-Nankana West District in Ghana's Upper East Region have suffered the devastating effects of climate change, seeing their land ravaged by wildfires, deforestation, and droughts. However, thanks to the intervention of the European Union-funded Landscape and Environmental Agility across the Nation (EU LEAN) project, a shift in the narrative is underway. The project is implementing the Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) approach, a low-cost and effective land restoration technique that is helping 25 communities in the area to reclaim their degraded lands, restore biodiversity, and build resilience to future climate shocks.

Key Takeaways:

  • The EU LEAN project, implemented by a consortium led by Rainforest Alliance, World Vision Ghana, Tropenbos Ghana, and EcoCare Ghana, is directly contributing to national efforts at conserving biodiversity, improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers, and reducing emissions from land use.
  • FMNR is an easy and low-cost land and forest restoration technique used to increase the number of trees in the field without necessarily planting new ones, but by protecting and managing existing trees and shrubs through pruning to enable them to regenerate naturally.
  • Under the EU LEAN project, over 300 hectares of degraded landscapes in the Kassena-Nankana District are undergoing restoration, and 500 smallholder farmers have been trained in FMNR practices and supported with tools and equipment.
  • The FMNR approach has helped to restore 750 hectares of landscapes in the Talensi District from 2009 to 2019, and is being practiced in about 25 countries globally as an effective and efficient land restoration strategy.
  • The project has also established a Landscape Management Board comprising seven members to monitor and support communities in ensuring environmental sustainability and adherence to FMNR practices.
  • Apart from FMNR, the project also supported the establishment of four nurseries, which have produced and distributed a total of 40,292 tree seedlings to farmers and communities.
  • The project aims to contribute significantly to the achievement of Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts and preserve the environment by 2030.

Statistics:

  • 25 communities in Kassena-Nankana West District are involved in the FMNR approach under the EU LEAN project.
  • Over 300 hectares of degraded landscapes in the Kassena-Nankana District are undergoing restoration through FMNR.
  • 500 smallholder farmers have been trained in FMNR practices and supported with tools and equipment.
  • 750 hectares of landscapes in the Talensi District were restored through FMNR from 2009 to 2019.
  • 40,292 tree seedlings have been produced and distributed to farmers and communities through the project's nursery intervention.
  • Ghana lost 19 percent of its forest reserves in the past decades, highlighting the need for strategic efforts to restore the environment.

Sources:

  • Ghana News Agency, 17 Jun 2025
  • European Union-funded Landscape and Environmental Agility across the Nation (EU LEAN) project report
  • World Vision Ghana
  • Rainforest Alliance
  • Tropenbos Ghana
  • EcoCare Ghana
  • Forestry Commission, Ghana
  • Green Ghana project report