WHAT WE DO
WHAT WE DO
CLIP works to improve the livelihoods of communities in Northern Ghana, fight climate change and work nationally and internationally to promote better opportunities for Northern Ghana and Ghana.
We have 6 strategic focus areas that are outlined in The CLIP Strategic Document 2020 - 2024.
Read the strategy here
Food Security & Livelihoods
OBJECTIVE
To empower farmer organizations to use resilient strategies/integrated farming systems to improve their productivity and livelihoods
CLIP uses the integrated Farming System Approach to facilitate the farmer organizations to identify and effectively link and integrate the various components of the farming system to maximize household food security and resilience.
Farmer Field Schools and demonstration farms are utilized to support farmers to make informed choices on the best farming system to adopt for a whole year production cycle.
It also includes building the capacities of individual, farmer and women groups to improve their productive capacity and skills in various livelihood diversifications ventures and trades.
CLIP also works to improve the resilience of vulnerable communities by establishing Village Savings and Loans Associations that gives the whole household a security net.
RESULTS
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More than 100 women groups have improved livelihoods due to capacity building on value addition to their trade. eg they are now able to produce quality rice, sheabutter, soya milk, weanimix among others.
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Increased productivity and yield of farmers due to the use of good agricultural practices learned through Farmer Field Schools and Farmer Field days.
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Established 180 Village Savings and Loans Associations in 5 districts in Northern Ghana
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Better planning and management of the PFJ program by MoFA due to evidence based advocacy embarked by CLIP on the findings of a research conducted on the PFJ
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120 farmers trained as Agricultural Extension service volunteers to breach the gap between farmers and Agricultural Extension Agents
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150 farmers trained as Community Livestock Workers to provide veterinary services to livestock farmers.
Climate Change
OBJECTIVE
To reduce the impact of climate change on farmer organizations and households especially women by strengthening their adaptive capacity and building resilience for sustainable livelihoods.
SHORT DESCSRIPTION OF STRATEGIC AREA
Adaptation and mitigation measures are used to support farmers and vulnerable households especially women to reduce the impact of climate change on their livelihoods. This is done through capacity building for adoption and resilience to the impact of climate change, improve farmers, especially women access to climate information, technology, and productive resources to strengthen their coping capacity among others.
On climate adaptation, livelihood diversification strategies such as greenhouse farming approaches, dry season vegetable production, post-harvest loss management, fish farming, cost-effective irrigation systems and use of improved crop seed varieties among others are promoted to build farmers/households resilience.
CLIP facilitates farmers to adopt non-burning farming practices, biodiversity conservation, promotion of Agro-silviculture, watershed management among others to mitigate climate change.
RESULTS
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Ten (10) communities in Yendi and Gushegu areas facilitated to expand community resource managed areas (CRMAS)
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Fifteen (15) community bushfire volunteers established
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Planted Casia along the river Daka in Yendi municipal to reduce siltation
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Over 250 households have increased resilience against unexpected changes, stresses and shocks
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Over 97 farmers have adopted improved seed varieties and this has tremendously increased their crop yields.
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Increased capacity of 200 farmers on the establishment, operation and management of cage fish farming in 10 communities as an alternative livelihood diversification strategy.
Inclusive Growth & Business Development
OBJECTIVE
To improve the business approach and capacity of existing farmer/women organizations to use growth opportunities to make their businesses profitable and competitive
STRATEGIES
It entails a change of mind-set of farmers to become more business focus in the agricultural and commodity value chain through Farmer business school promotions.
CLIP seeks to increase access to finance and the support for micro, small and medium enterprise development of women and farmer groups as well as enterprising individuals from deprived communities to enhance their productive and economic capacities.
CLIP uses a 4 step business development model to support and facilitate the growth of viable businesses to grow in to strong, profitable and competitive commercial businesses. Key in the model is to facilitate MSMEs to develop a competitive business plan by enrolling in a business incubator program.
RESULTS
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Business model tool developed to facilitate the identification and assessment of potential businesses
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Women agro-processing groups assisted to identify their business potential and developed business plans.
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A practical business plan facilitation guide developed for supporting viable businesses to develop competitive business plans
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The mindset of 250 farmers have changed to commercial farming
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
OBJECTIVE
To improve the health, productive capacity and livelihoods of vulnerable communities through initiatives that empower people and increase equitable, sustainable and affordable access to and use of WASH services and turning waste in to prosperity.
CLIP seeks to achieve this through the provision of cost effective water systems- both solar and grid powered systems and building the capacity of the locals for improved and effective management of the systems.
The Integrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM) and the Diamond approach is used to improve on sanitation and waste service delivery. This we do by empowering people to improve their own environment and livelihood by building sustainable sanitation and waste (liquid and solid) systems. Facilitates close collaboration and dialogue between all the stakeholders in WASH service and value chain– from farmers and entrepreneurs to local communities, financial institutions and governments for sustained improved and affordable WASH service delivery.
In CLIP, We believe that the ingredients to a sustainable WASH system capable of reaching scale are; to have a functioning market, functioning public sector and organized citizens. Sanitation and Waste intervention can only be sustainable if systems are created to continue to function to provide services and products in the society.
RESULTS
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Over 220 hand-dug wells constructed in the northern region of Ghana.
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Developed and implemented viable finance schemes for promoting sanitation in both rural and urban communities.
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Over 30 entrepreneurs along the service and value chain identified and supported to establish business through training on business development and advisory services
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Conducted Innovative researches to improve WASH service delivery e.g Faecal sludge drying beds, black soldier fly larvae etc
Agro Pastoralism
OBJECTIVE
To improve the socio-economic well-being of agro-pastoral communities by facilitating access to natural resources and the mobility of herds, strengthening the capabilities of key actors in the livestock sector at local and cross-border level and promote the sustainable economic development of the livestock value chain.
SHORT DESCSRIPTION OF STRATEGIC AREA
To achieve this, CLIP will build the capacity of relevant CSOs in the sector and local authorities in particular through informed debates, GIS training in addition to advocacy and the provision of decision-making tools.
CLIP will further work on seeking a better understanding of the challenges of the sector, make a spatial representation of these challenges at the level of the territories concerned, especially using cartography, and the provision of data will provide reliable facts to ensure inclusive and lasting development of the sector.
Once this has been completed, it is then possible to best position and builds up investments to increase production as well as to market products from this sector. Example; facilitating the creation of movement corridors, promotion of the construction of water points for livestock, the establishment of grazing reserves and campsites. Concomitant with these investments, the expertise of the CSOs in the sector at the level of the regions involved will be built up so that development of the sector can be ensured in the long term through the prioritisation and orientation of future activities. Finally, adjustments for the establishment of management bodies and systems for anchoring actions within institutions to ensure their sustainability, making it possible to provide all necessary means (structural investment, monitoring measures) at the local and cross-border level in order to ensure the development and lasting success of the agro-pastoral sector.
RESULTS
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Conducted informed debates (capacity building workshops) on livestock trading module in operational districts in Northern and Upper East Regions
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Advocated for the peaceful coexistence among herders and crop farmers
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Built capacities of Livestock Market Management Committees (Bawku, Tamale, Buipe, Pusiga & Gushegu) and facilitated them to acquire certificates from the Registrar General Department at the national level.
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Identified and trained field facilitators at the local levels on livestock trading module.
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Agro-pastoralist and pastoralist organisations, local authorities and technical services of the State co-develop cross-border pastoral plans using their shared knowledge of the challenges facing agropastoralism at the local and cross-border level.
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Implementation of monitoring and decision-making tools (social engineering) at local and regional level (cartography, management and statistical tools for agro-pastoral infrastructures).
Nutrition
OBJECTIVE
The aim is to address the chronic and hidden hunger suffered by children in Ghana due to poverty, lack of knowledge about their nutritional needs and socio-cultural beliefs that prevent children from accessing certain types of food. Children suffer from chronic hunger when their food intake regularly provides less than their minimum energy requirement leading to undernutrition.
SHORT DESCSRIPTION OF STRATEGIC AREA
CLIP seeks to improve the nutrition of children and women in vulnerable communities through the empowerment of women, especially those organized in groups, to prevent micronutrient deficiencies in children as well as improve the health status of pregnant and lactating women.
RESULTS
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Trained over 720 women on effective food preparation that will conserve nutrients and fortification of local diets with soybeans and moringa for improved household nutrition.
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Trained over 720 women on the processing of locally available foods into tom-brown, weanimix, cerelac, baobab fruit drink, soy milk and extraction of oil from moringa seeds.
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Many of the women have improved their income levels by processing and selling of these products.