Lush Green Desert
On the outskirts of a small town in central Ghana is a rather special place. The ancient sacred grove of Tanoboase is an amazing natural fortification. A ring of volcanic rock that rises out of the thick green of the tropical forest and farms, this ring of rock has a perfectly designed hole that allows only one person to squeeze through into the interior. Before you do so there is a scramble up a slippery, sheer surface, on either side of the entrance are two well-worn rocks, the surfaces worn down into seats through centuries of use. Akan guards would have sat here once, guarding the single point into this sanctuary.
I have scrabbled up the side of this rock face many times now and each time I’m struck with how incredible a natural feature it is. As you squeeze through and into the fortification you are surrounded by walls of rock. During times of conflict, this was home to the people here. Not only that but from here I can look down on the land of Ghana Permaculture Institut (GPI). Its 20 acres of land that remains very special to me.
GPI was founded by Paul Yeboah, a farmer turned eco-entrepreneur who remains a source of inspiration for our work at Careys Secret Garden. Having spent his younger years as a Cashew farmer at a local farm, he was introduced to Permaculture as an alternative to conventional agriculture and quickly found that a mixture of the incredible Indigenous knowledge of West African heritage mixed with a dash of modern science gave him the skills to create a truly sustainable model of business and farming for his region.
When I met him he had already created dynamic projects across the area – from tree planting along river edges to restore the flow, to tree nurseries full of millions of saplings- but he had a bigger vision. He had found a piece of land that was perfect for it. Just a short walk from the sacred grove was a piece of land that had been almost completely stripped of life. The top soil was ripped back and the subsoil had been used for road building, what was left was aptly described as ‘moon rock’ by our mutual friend Paulo Mellett.
Paul decided that this was the perfect case study to show how degraded land could be brought back to life. He quickly set about doing just that. He planted pioneer tree species that could also bring income (Moringa) which helped to build soil. Next he established several buildings to house training and eco-enterprises. One of these grew mushrooms using waste material from sawmills up the road. The oyster mushrooms he grew were then sold across the whole of West Africa. The buildings themselves acted as examples of sustainable construction, one building of old rubber tyres was copied up and down the road with a school building an outdoor classroom with tyres in the same fashion.
The design of the site also took into account that many farmers walked to and from their plots along the same road. Paul had more than one comment that his mad plans for the site would never bear fruit, literally and metaphorically, but as the months rolled by they were stunned to see the land begin to blossom. Paul brought in rich flowering varieties of plants, then came the bees and honey, then chickens and a Tilapia pond, each of these additions bringing income and diversity of crops whilst at the same time boosting biodiversity and soaking up carbon. The micro-economies created here spilled out to other farming groups who began planting Moringa and harvesting it. Paul and GPI used this Moringa to create a range of cosmetics that sold in the big towns and helped fund micro loans for women empowerment.
This snowballing of positive impact remains one of my greatest examples of the positive ripples that happen when we apply our energy to repairing the world. Paul created, through careful and intelligent design, an alternative to the destruction he saw around him.
Sadly, in September this year Paul passed away. However, his work and the example he set lives on and I’m left with the words of his favourite quote – “the field lies open to the intellect” – never a more apt saying for a man who used his intellect to such great effect.
Simon Constantine
