Forest cover change analysis, the establishment of plantation forest by local farmers in Offinso North District

Abstract

Deforestation has been on the rise in worlds’ tropical forest from the late 20th century. Africa has lost more than 19 million ha of its forest. However, Ghana recorded a net gain of 1.96% in forest cover in 2018. This study assessed the role of plantation forest in the forest cover change of Offinso North District. The specific objectives were to assess what intrigued farmers in establishing forest, its extent, benefits and challenges. The study used the mixed method approach. It employed the purposive and systematic sampling methods. A sample of 135 farmers was used. Data was collected through semi – structured interviews and observation. GIS and Remote Sensing were used to assess forest cover change from 1990 – 2020.The study revealed that plantation forest was established by farmers mainly for economic benefits. The study showed that all farmers planted Teak with their alternate livelihood activities as food and cash crop farming. From this study, plantation forest increased by 4.3% and 18.5% in 1990 – 2015 and 2015 – 2020 respectively. Also, the study revealed that a change in forest cover improves local farmer’s socio-economic wellbeing. Moreover, farmers’ main challenges were no assistance from government and low income obtained from tree printing. It is recommended that the government should intervene in setting prices of trees planted by farmers together with assisting them with financial and technical support.