Table of ContentsLand Cover and the Need for Introducing MTSHistorical Perspectives Forest Restoration in GhanaDeforestation and Forest Degradation in GhanaThe Modified Taungya SystemPesticides and Their NeedBrief History of pesticide applicationEffects of pesticidesLand Coverage and the need to introduce MTSThe total agricultural land area of ​​Ghana in 2012 was 14,038,224 hectares, of which 7,847,300 hectares are cultivated (MOFA/SRID, 2013). The country's population continues to increase at an alarming rate of 2.2% in 2012, resulting in an increase in the number of mouths to feed. In order to continue farming and increase yields, farmers are faced with the task of using various pesticides to control weeds, pests and diseases. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay The rate of deforestation in Ghana is estimated to be one of the highest in the world after Togo and Nigeria. At an estimated annual rate of 2%, equivalent to 135,000 hectares per year (ENA Ghana, 2017). This is due to the increase in population and the resulting growth in demand for food, other agricultural products, energy (firewood and charcoal) and other forest products (FAO) . This situation is exacerbated by unsustainable practices in harvesting timber and other forest products. Historical Perspectives Forest Restoration in Ghana Since 1946, there have been several attempts to increase stocks of high-value woody species in Ghana's forests. According to Nolan & Ghartey, 1992, in order to improve the settlement of moist evergreen forest reserves (which were, in their view, poorly populated) and maintain the supply of then "desirable" species such as Khaya, Entandrophragma, Lovoa and Heritiera , the enrichment planting strategy was adopted. The program was, however, abandoned after planting an area of ​​approximately 2,500 ha, due to lack of budgetary support. After many other similar attempts were made to restore the most degraded forest reserves or to protect and increase Ghana's forest cover, yielding no significant results, the program was abandoned. The Government of Ghana launched the National Forest Plantation Development Program (NFPDP) in September 2001 to accelerate the pace of forest plantation establishment in the country. The program according to FC, 2016, had among others three key objectives: restoring the forest cover of degraded forest lands; creating jobs as a means of reducing rural poverty; address the future timber deficit situation and improve food production through the adoption of the modified Taungya system.Deforestation and forest degradation in GhanaAgricultural pesticides are powerful substances that are developed, produced and used to mitigate damage or crop losses caused by pests. Increasing agricultural yields and combating insect-borne diseases (malaria, dengue fever, encephalitis, filariasis, etc.) in the human health sector are significantly enhanced by pest and disease control. The decimation of beneficial agricultural pest predators has led to the proliferation of several pests and diseases. Despite all these impacts and costs, farmers continue to use pesticides in most countries at an increasing rate, while organic methods of pest control have become limited. The continued use of pesticides hasled to environmental damage, caused human health problems and a negative impact on the environment. agricultural production and reduced agricultural sustainability. In Ghana, a vast forest estate, consisting of 1.6 million hectares of forest reserves, was classified as the High Forest Zone (HFZ) in the 1920s. At the time, there were large areas of forests outside of these classified forest reserves across the country. During this period, significant portions of these forests have been lost or degraded. The main underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation include population and economic growth and weak governance structures. Strong population and economic growth has led to high domestic consumption of wood and a strong demand for wood to satisfy export markets. Furthermore, growing domestic and external demand for agricultural products such as cocoa, oil palm, cashew and food crops has led to large-scale conversion. forests for agricultural purposes. The Government of Ghana, through the Forestry Commission, developed an approach to rejuvenate degraded old-growth forests that took into account the financial benefits to farmers and other stakeholders involved and transferred ownership of the trees from 'a single entity (the government) with many owners (farmers, local communities, government and landowners). MTS is an approach to allocating economic benefits and resources. Farmers were therefore allocated part of the degraded forest land to grow food crops while planting and maintaining forest trees until the forest cover closes after 3 years, then they are moved to other areas. other plots. With food cultivation came the need to control weeds, diseases and pests, which necessitated the introduction of pesticides by farmers. The modified Taungya systemTaungya was developed in Burma following numerous confrontations between farmers and the British Forest Service, and was primarily used to allow the Karen much-needed access to reserve forest land (Bryant 1994), and was introduced in Ghana as early as 1928 when the then Forestry Department was charged with the responsibility of establishing forest plantations for long-term timber production and also to meet the needs of farmers for fertile land in areas where land agricultural areas located outside the national permanent forest domain were infertile and limited. There was an intensification of the establishment of taungya plantations in Ghana between 1969 and 1985 (FD, 1985) under the Operation Feed Yourself programme. It was, however, not widely adopted despite the supposed benefits, and was virtually stopped due to the co-partnership problem since farmers had no rights to share the profits. The Ghanaian government, as part of its 1994 Forestry and Wildlife Policy (FWP), and Forest Plantation Development Program, revised and reintroduced the traditional Taungya system in 2002 as the Modified Taungya System (MTS). Taungya begins as an agroforestry system for the first three years, then evolves into a plantation system when the trees form a closed canopy, and farmers are expected to care for the trees until maturity. Farmers would also, after three years, move to other plots, mostly state-owned or state-managed degraded forest reserves, to repeat the agroforestry practice. Interactions between crops and treesin taungya systems are designed to achieve complementary rather than competitive effects. Farmers were allowed to cultivate their food crops which were intercropped with forest trees on the same plot of land. Farmers, in addition to the food crops they harvest, have a 40% share in the standing tree value (STV) of the trees planted. The government has a 40% share, while the landowner and the community will have 15% and 5% respectively (GFPS, 2016). The CF provided technical direction, surveyed and demarcated degraded forest reserve lands and provided stakes and seedlings while farmers provided shares. all labor inputs in the form of site preparation, staking, planting, maintenance and fire protection. Tree planting has been strictly controlled, but no restrictions have been made on the types, dosages and forms of pesticides that can or cannot be used by farmers to achieve their agricultural production goals as long as the trees are “protected” by them. their necessityIn order to reduce the time, energy, resources and funds spent on manual land preparation, weed and pest control, MTS farmers have turned to the use of pesticides for their agricultural production activities. Pesticides are widely used in most sectors of agricultural production to prevent or reduce losses due to pests and thus improve the yield as well as the quality of the product, even in terms of aesthetic appeal, which is often important for consumers. The term pesticide includes a wide range of compounds, including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, rodenticides, nematicides, plant growth regulators and others. In many countries, ensuring food security is a major concern in agriculture. Sustainable intensification of production and prevention of post-harvest losses are key elements. In this regard, there is a need to sustainably respond to outbreaks of endemic and transboundary pests and diseases that affect agricultural production and food security. With the increase in global trade in raw materials and agricultural products, it is also important to ensure that the transportation of agricultural products does not lead to the spread of pests and diseases. Although pesticides play an important role in plant protection, in many cases, misuse and other inappropriate measures have actually exacerbated pest problems due to their destructive effects on natural control mechanisms. and the development of resistance to pesticides. To reduce yield losses, farmers frequently apply higher doses of pesticides than those recommended by experts and extension agents, usually due to the common belief that applying high doses of pesticides is more effective. . In this context, however, decisions regarding pesticide application are made without considering human health and environmental concerns by many farmers. As an agriculture-based nation, pesticide use contributes a lot to national development and public health programs. Since the introduction of pesticides in Ghana, their use to protect crops from pests has significantly reduced losses and improved the yield of crops such as cereals, vegetables, fruits and other crops. There was a study on increasing the use of.