20 Agustus 2023
Capacity Building in Priority Villages in Côte d'Ivoire
Building Capacity of local communities in the San Pedro landscape, Côte d'Ivoire
From the 30th July to the 13th of August, Proforest, the Ministry for Water and Forests (MINEF) and the Regional Council, delivered training to local communities in identified priority zones. This was done following the validation of the Sustainable Management and Investment plan for the San Pedro landscape.
The training was divided in four sections:
- Raising awareness of the sustainable management and investment plan for the San Pedro region
- Tree and Forest Ownership and Forest Protection - The 2019 Forestry Code and the implementing decrees defining the procedures for registering, creating and exploiting community forests
- The Rural Land Law
- High Conservation Value (HCV) and Participatory Mapping
In total, we welcomed 182 participants, 32% of them women, from 30 villages and 5 sub-prefectures. The communities were generally engaged and found value in the training, especially because many weren't aware of the application of the forestry code decrees and their rights in the management of natural resources. They recognised the importance of taking ownership of knowledge and sharing it with other members of their communities and to the younger generations.
In addition, there was value for MINEF in presenting directly to the communities - an opportunity to address and answer questions to a large target group. Many of the groups showed interest in what types of trees could be planted and in understanding their value long-term, both in terms of community benefit but also on the market. However, some groups shared with us the challenges and concerns that remain, particularly regarding implementation, lack of support measures for farmers and the need for further and continous capacity building beyond this training, including awareness-raising activities.
