Growing Diversity – West Africa
TITLE OF EXPERIENCE: Sustainable management of the green belt of the village of Ando-Kpomey
AUTHOR: Village Committee for the development of Ando Kpomey, Togolese Association for Humane Promotion (ATPH)
COUNTRY AND REGION: Togo, Ando-Kpomey
ECOLOGICAL ZONE: Savannas
ABSTRACT
ANDO-KPOMEY is a small village of c. 400 inhabitants situated in the AVE district in the South-West of TOGO. The population is mostly rural. The Ando-Kpomey experiment is an original one and was undertaken without any outside intervention. After the great fire of 1973, the search for measures to prevent this type of disaster has led farmers to look for measures to save the few remaining biological resources. After thinking and talking about it, the elders of the village have proposed the idea of a series of firebreaks; in order to carry this out; men, women and children have all taken part.
The first communal firebreak has been created in 1974. Since then, the population gathers together every year to make firescreens around the belt. The annual firebreaks are actively managed by the whole of the community who has made the rules of management and of protection of the forest around the village and absolutely follow them. The green belt allows the conservation of gathered plant food and medicinal plants.
The Ando-Kpomey experiment is very new and educational. The experiment is now welcome by the State, the organisations supporting development and the local people who enjoy the results whether they be agricultural, socio-economical or environmental. The Togolese government had advocated the creation of new national parks, protected forests and reserves in order to conserve and protect threatened species. However, this was without local involvement. Today the Ando-Kpomey green belt is a textbook example for the whole country and exchange visits of experiments are often organised in the village for communities from around Togo.
CONTACT:
Association Togolaise pour la Promotion Humaine (ATPH) – BP 21 – Kévé –TOGO, Tél. 228 37 10 29 – Fax 228 37 10 81 – Email : atph@laposte.tg