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UNDP names NGO, Ghanaian community winners of Equator Prize 2014

Xinhua, April 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Friday named the Integrated Development in Focus (IDF) and the Yaoman community of the Greater Accra Region in Ghana as winners of the 2014 Equator Prize for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Equator Prize, organized by the Equator Initiative within the UNDP, is awarded biennially to recognize outstanding community efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

In this connection, the UNDP, in partnership with the Small Grants Program (SGP) of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Ga West Municipal Assembly in the Greater Accra Region, will on April 28 hold a national event to recognize the outstanding efforts of the winners.

The UNDP, in a statement to Xinhua, said the event was "a sequel to an award to be presented to the IDF as winner of the 2014 Equator Prize for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa".

The statement said IDF was awarded for equipping women with financial and technical resources to restore degraded lands and develop small-scale enterprises.

The Equator Prize also acknowledged the efforts of the IDF to improve crop yields and local incomes of women-led groups that planted three million trees and restored 350 hectares of land.

The organization also trained farmers in organic farming techniques and supported access to new and more lucrative markets for their produce.

"A model, which required that each trained farmer passes on acquired knowledge to five other farmers, has engendered growth. The IDF also launched small-scale businesses in livestock rearing, composting and organic vegetable cultivation and promoted strong partnerships with local municipalities, chiefs and elders to effectively manage their environment," said Dominic Sam, UNDP Country Director.

The UNDP-led local event is to showcase success stories, deepen local recognition for the sterling example of the IDF and facilitate lesson learning, the statement said. Endi