Deadline: 23-Apr-25
The European Forest Institute (EFI) is inviting applications to support efforts to increase forest cover in Ghana with the ambition that the grant scheme as a whole contributes to restore 5 000 hectares.
In doing so the grant scheme should also develop capacity of farmers and rural people to restore degraded forest landscapes with the ambition that the grant scheme as a whole will reach 20 000 individual farmers.
Aims
- Consistent with the objective, the grant scheme aims to support activities that contribute to:
- promoting trees on farms/agricultural lands. This may include extension services for tree planting and farm rehabilitation; support to seedling production enterprises and climatesmart agriculture business models; capacity development and financing for improved irrigation systems or for improving soil fertility through use of biochar/biowaste.
- advancing farmer-managed natural regeneration. Activities could include capacity development for tree nurturing, facilitation of community level agreements and bylaws to support restoration efforts and mitigate deforestation drivers such as bushfires, and the establishment of monitoring systems for soil fertility and vegetative cover improvement. This may include documenting baseline data of fertility status of degraded soils or existing vegetative cover/biomass amongst others in order to identify highpotential regeneration areas and track restoration impacts.
- strengthening existing innovative governance models, such as Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs) and Landscape Management Boards, and benefit-sharing arrangements among farmers, landowners and government on planted and/or natural forests. These arrangements may be linked to e.g. value chains, ecosystem services, or carbon markets. Activities could also include support to local management of natural resources through participatory land-use planning and the development and implementation of land use plans.
Funding Information
- The overall indicative amount made available under this call for grants is EUR 2 400 000. EFI reserves the right not to award all available funds. Grants are available to farmer- or community-based organisations or consortium of not-for-profit entities, of which at least one applicant is a farmer- or community-based organisation. Applicants can request a contribution between EUR 200.000 and EUR 800.000.
- Projects are expected to start in June 2025 and last at least 25 months and up to a maximum of 28 months. The activities must be completed at the latest by October 2027.
Eligible Activities
- Grants will support the implementation of field activities to enhance restoration of forests through support for agroforestry, natural regeneration, or other restoration activities in High Forest and/or Savanna forest ecological zones in Ghana. Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that promote best practices such as:
- utilise best available scientific and local/indigenous knowledge and tailor activities to local contexts;
- support improved irrigation systems that ensure water availability for restoration and climate smart agriculture, particularly in the Savanna ecological zone;
- integrate local stakeholders, such as farmer and community-based organisations, in the development and implementation of activities;
- incorporate a gender and youth sensitive approach to the design and implementation of activities;
- support sustainable financing, promote the realisation of economic benefits for landscape restoration, and support livelihood diversification;
- complement other relevant development programmes and restoration initiatives;
- enhance capacities of local actors to engage in multi-stakeholder processes and partnerships related to forest restoration;
- include activities to promote the sustainability of restoration efforts such as by promoting community ownership;
- identify where in-cash or in-kind contributions can be made to support the grant funded activities;
- identify and disseminate best practices and lessons learned and foster visibility of the EU funded project’s achievements.
Geographical Focus
- Proposed projects must target defined area(s) within the High Forest or Savanna forest ecological zones. Activities may occur in one or both of the forest ecological zones.
- Proposed activities should target specific areas where degradation or deforestation has occurred; including areas identified as important for biodiversity, ecosystem health, or climate goals or those where competing land uses threaten forest ecosystem integrity and resilience.
Eligibility Criteria
- At least one participating entity is a farmer- or community-based organisation as registered by the local statutory departments in Ghana.
- All participating entities are a legal entity (legal person) registered in Ghana by an instrument governed by the national law of Ghana.
- All participating entities are registered in Ghana as a not-for-profit entity by the relevant statutory authority.
- Coordinator has experience from the last three (3) years in implementing a grant funded restoration project with a budget of the same or greater amount than the grant that the applicant is applying for.
- At least one of the participating entities has an active presence in the proposed project area(s) through members of the farmer or community-based organisations being located in the proposed project area.
For more information, visit EFI.