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By Albert Oppong-Ansah Accra, Oct. 30, GNA – Betty Adza’s earnings from her coffee farm have increased more than a thousand-fold over the past five years. Once making barely GHS 500 (about US$47.66) per season, the single mother and her group members now earn upwards of GHS 17,000 (about US$1,620), thanks to farm expansion, access to ready markets, and alternative income opportunities. “Coffee farming was bequeathed to me by my mother years back. And I’m proud to have taken it to another level with support from One Tree Planted through Kawa Moka.” Betty says with pride. Betty is just one of many women transforming their livelihoods, and landscapes, through climate-smart agriculture and ecosystem restoration, a nature-based solution to climate change and environmental degradation, also a national priority. For Sylvia, another member, learning the craft of coffee-making at Kawa Moka opened new doors. She now runs a small business, baking coffee-flavoured cakes and training young girls who, like her, grew up orphaned or in poverty. In the lush highlands of Leklebi, Sylvia and her cooperative of women farmers bend over rich, dark soil, pressing coffee seedlings into the earth beneath a canopy of young shade trees. They sing as they work, songs of renewal and purpose. They reuse coffee husks for mulching, practice organic techniques, and participate in every step of the value chain, from nursery to harvest. Restoring Land, Rebuilding Lives The initiative is part of a broader project by One Tree Planted in Ghana, focused on restoring degraded lands, protecting biodiversity, and empowering women. Since 2021, One Tree Planted and its partners have planted more than four million trees across the Volta, Western, and Eastern Regions of Ghana. Women make up over 60 per cent of the workforce, contributing to nursery management, planting, monitoring, and environmental education. Their roles extend far beyond labour; they are changemakers and guardians of Ghana’s forests. “When women are empowered, nine out of ten returns, go back into the home. They invest in their children’s education, family nutrition, and healthcare,” says Emi-Beth Quantson, Founder of Kawa Moka Coffee. “Empowerment also creates more income opportunities for young women, reducing early and multiple pregnancies and protection against domestic violence. Our partnership with One Tree Planted helps us grow not just trees, but futures.” At Leklebi, one of their favourite songs, sung in Ewe, “Coffee is good, coffee will send our children to school,” echoes into a future of hope and comfort. From the Highlands to the Coast What began in the Volta highlands is now spreading westward. Across Ghana, a women-led environmental movement is gaining strength, from forest farms to coastal wetlands. In the Western Region, women in rubber wellington boots wade through brackish wetlands, planting mangrove saplings to stabilise shorelines and support fisheries, says Eunice Adofo Boanya, One Tree Planted’s Africa Project Manager. “These wetlands are nurseries for fish and natural buffers against erosion,” she explains. “The women’s work here is protecting both livelihoods and marine life.” Moving inland to the Eastern Region, others are restoring farmlands with native timber and fruit trees, reversing years of deforestation and land degradation. “These women, farmers, mothers, traders, are the unsung heroes of a bold movement to reforest degraded lands and protect livelihoods.” Boanya adds. Women, as primary caregivers and economic drivers, are often hardest hit by biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. Yet, they are also the most responsive, forming savings groups, managing nurseries, and diversifying income sources to build resilience. Beyond Trees: Social and Economic Impact The restoration work goes beyond tree planting. It tackles deep-rooted social challenges, offering alternative livelihoods in communities where deforestation was once driven by charcoal burning and illegal mining. “Restoration reduces pressure on women, improves food security, and deters youth from migrating or engaging in harmful activities.” Boanya says. Madam Lydia Opoku, Acting Executive Director of the Ghana’s Forest Services Division, praised One Tree Planted’s efforts as a major contribution to Ghana’s Tree for Life Initiative, which aims to plant 30 million trees nationwide. “We cannot do this alone,” she notes. “Partners like One Tree Planted are helping us to raise awareness about the value of forests and the role each Ghanaian must play in protecting them.” Mr Samuel Appiah Ofori, One Tree Planted’s Africa Project Manager, emphasises that lasting change requires deep community integration. “It is not just about trees, it is about trust, livelihoods, and sustainability,” he says. Ofori cites the work of Ghoshen Global with cocoa farmers in the Western Region, where shade trees have improved yields and restored biodiversity. “When farmers see the benefits, better crops, new income, they are more committed. That is how restoration becomes truly sustainable.” Ghana and Africa Leading by Example Across Africa, One Tree Planted has supported more than 215 projects, planted over 36 million trees, and created more than 100,000 green jobs. These efforts show that the continent, often on the frontlines of climate change, is also a global leader in community-driven conservation. “Locally-led restoration works, and collaboration is the backbone of every successful effort,” says Mr John Ngahu, Interim Africa Regional Director of One Tree Planted, who visited Ghana from Kenya. “When I see what’s happening in Ghana, and compare it to our work in the Mau Forest Complex back home, the message is clear: communities can regenerate landscapes.” At a forest planted in 2020, trees now stand 20 metres high. Once a barren patch of land, it now teems with life, birds chirp, butterflies flutter, and insects thrive. “It offers hope that all is not lost, and that concerted efforts toward restoration can work miracles,” says Mr Matthew Jeffery, Chief Programme Officer at One Tree Planted, after visiting project sites in Ghana. “These forests are genetic banks. We do not yet know all the medicinal value or biodiversity they hold.” Jeffery notes. “Restoration projects, whether in cocoa farms or wetlands, help protect this heritage while addressing climate change.” Jeffery says One Tree Planted is committed to working with governments, nonprofits, and local leaders to ensure the trees survive, not just sprout. “They do not just plant,” he adds. “They nurture, they teach, they protect. And the results are real, improved microclimates, increased biodiversity, restored fisheries, and new income.” Sowing Resilience and Hope Perhaps the most powerful outcome of all is that these women are transforming their relationship with the land, from exploitation to regeneration. Their hands plant seeds, but their actions sow resilience, equity, and their minds sow hope for generations to come. 31 Oct. 2025 Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong
