Operating sustainably managed teak plantations, Form Ghana’s strong emphasis on creating conditions enabling smallholder farmers to establish long-term cashew plantations intercropped with cash crops is supporting livelihoods and restoring ecosystems.
In the heart of Ghana’s Bono Region, within the Tain II Forest Reserve in the greater Berekum Municipal area, Form Ghana Limited is demonstrating how commercial forestry and community partnerships development can grow side by side. Before Form Ghana’s Integrated Community Fire Management Programme (ICFMP) initiative, long-term crops and economic stability for rural communities were impossible.
Supporting farmers
At the centre of Form Ghana’s community engagement is direct support to 747 farmers, 29% of whom are women. These farmers come from 15 communities, including fringe communities, five admitted farms within the reserve framework, and off-reserve farmers managing their own lands.
The focus has been on improving productivity, market access, and sustainability, especially through the cultivation of cashew trees, a key livelihood resource in the region. Smallholder farmers constitute most of the cashew producers and processors in Ghana, and strengthening this value chain has proven transformative.
Alleviating poverty
Through targeted support, including training, seedlings, extension guidance, and improved access, farmers are experiencing measurable increases in cashew production income. Form Ghana’s direct support of the farmers has created indirect employment for about 200 people across plant nurseries, plantations, crop maintenance, fire management, and road building and maintenance.
Feedback received during regular meetings between Form Ghana’s ESG Officers, community leaders and farmers indicates that the profit from the long-term crop is creating a positive trickle-down effect, improving overall standards of living among participating farming households, such as
Food and nutrition
Beyond income generation, Form Ghana and agronomists advise farmers on how the cashew trees’ organic matter improves soil nutrients. It creates favourable conditions and increases the yield of intercropped staple foods such as maize, soya beans and yams.
Researchers say these food crops are particularly cost-effective when intercropped with cashew, helping households meet their daily sustenance needs while building financial resilience.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure investment has strengthened economic inclusion. To enable farmers to transport their produce efficiently, Form Ghana constructed a bridge and over 591 kilometres of roads within the Tain II Forest Reserve and surrounding communities.
These roads improve access to health, education, and markets and serve the wider public. Importantly, they also serve as firebreaks, helping protect crops and livelihoods.
Community partnerships
Summers are hot and dry, and the harmattan (strong hot winds blowing from the Sahara Desert in the north) creates perfect conditions for runaway wildfires. A lack of understanding of controlled burns, fire behaviour, and firefighting was a constant risk to all rural communities.
Through the ICFMP partnership with communities and farmers, the Fire Danger Index was introduced, and local fire volunteer squads are trained annually in firefighting and suppression techniques and equipped with basic firefighting tools. Stakeholders' feedback and Form Ghana’s high-tech fire management system confirm that there have been nearly 80% fewer wildfire outbreaks across the 6,154 hectares within the Tain II Forest Reserve. This incredible achievement is a win-win situation for everyone.
Restoring biodiversity
Form Ghana’s work extends beyond teak cultivation, the national Green Ghana and Trees for Life reforestation projects and community social responsibilities. Since 2019, the company has deliberately selected and planted indigenous species that historically formed part of the local Eastern Guinean Lowland Forest ecosystem, including:
Many of these species produce edible fruits, which support local livelihoods and attract wildlife. Wildlife plays a crucial ecological role as a seed dispersal agent, accelerating natural regeneration and strengthening biodiversity recovery.
In the last seven years, Form Ghana has been directly involved with supplying seedlings and support to farmers and communities to establish :
During this same time an estimated 3,500 additional acres have been planted with tree crops within the greater Berekum Municipal area, due to the enabling environment created by Form Ghana’s proactive actions.
Additionally, seedlings were planted and successfully established at the Freeman Methodist Primary A School, Freeman Methodist Primary B School, and the Mpatapo M/A Primary School.
Form Ghana cares
Since 2019, Form Ghana has directly supported close to 750 farmers, strengthened cashew-based intercropping systems, reduced wildfire outbreaks, restored indigenous biodiversity, improved road access, and created employment opportunities.
Form Ghana’s commitment to sustainable plantation forestry is a catalyst for rural economic development and restoring biodiversity.
Thanks to Form Ghana's Integrated Community Fire Management Project (ICFMP), no wildfires were recorded in its Berekum leased area in the 2023/2024 fire season.
Before the company commenced its restoration work in the Tain II Forest Reserve (also known as the Berekum plantation) in 2013, years of neglect and illegal logging replaced indigenous forests with savannah grass, bush, crop and grazing lands.
Wildfires are inevitable during the dry season when they are fuelled by people and the harmattan wind from the Sahara Desert in the north.
Form Ghana's incident monitoring and analysis research shows a downward trend of wildfire incidents since 2018. The Incident Command Centre in Berekum recorded 317 fires in the 2023-2024 fire season, of which 225 were controlled burns and 92 were wildfires.
Of the wildfires, 60% occurred outside the Berekum ICFMP boundary. The 40% within the boundary were mainly in the Meremano and Koraso communities, far from the nine participating fringe communities and had no impact on them.
"We are pleased that by collaborating with the Ghana National Fire Service and groups like school children, youth and women in the fringe communities, we are minimising the risk of wildfires", comments Paul Ontoaneyin, the company's Environmental, Social and Governance Manager
"Our Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Department conducts regular community reviews. The participants confirm that understanding the causes and consequences of fire, the fire danger index, the Fire Wise activities of the Fire Volunteer Squads (FVS), the company's assistance with controlled burns and other collaborative fire management strategies are contributing to the downward trend", explains Ontoaneyin.
"Form Ghana incorporates lessons learned from continual monitoring and assessment of the programme to ensure we increase its efficiency and effectiveness".
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