Eco Restore Limited has been named Best Shea Nursery Operator of the Year at the 2026 Tree Crops Excellence Awards, in recognition of its contribution to restoring indigenous tree species and promoting sustainable land management in Northern Ghana.
The award highlights the company’s growing role in reversing land degradation and strengthening biodiversity across the Savannah, Northern and North East Regions.
Mr Senyo Kpelly, Chief Executive Officer of Savannah & Sahel Commodities Ltd, said the recognition affirms years of deliberate efforts to rebuild tree cover and soil fertility in farming communities.
He warned that declining biodiversity and soil degradation pose serious threats to food security and farmer livelihoods in Northern Ghana.
According to him, traditional farming systems in the north maintained between 20 and 33 trees per acre, which helped regulate soil temperature, conserve moisture and sustain crop productivity.
However, over the past three decades, widespread tree felling and shifting agricultural practices have left many farms exposed to extreme heat.
“Most of the farms are no longer having trees, and the ground is getting too hot. If we don’t reverse the trend, food security in the area will be seriously affected,” he said in an interview.
Mr Kpelly explained that the deteriorating state of soils and falling yields inspired the establishment of Eco Restore Limited, which he co-founded with two partners to tackle biodiversity loss and land degradation.
Starting operations in 2019 without external funding, the company established its first nursery and raised 10,000 seedlings, about 70 percent of which were shea. Today, Eco Restore operates 10 nurseries with the capacity to produce up to 100,000 seedlings each, making it one of the largest indigenous tree nursery operators in Northern Ghana.
The company is collaborating with research institutions to improve shea propagation techniques. It now produces grafted shea seedlings capable of fruiting in less than five years, significantly reducing the maturation period compared to trees grown from seed.
Beyond shea, Eco Restore promotes between 20 and 25 indigenous species, including rosewood, dawadawa, baobab and mahogany, for food, timber and medicinal purposes.
“The trees are like an air-conditioning system that enables farming in the area,” Mr Kpelly explained, noting that tree cover moderates temperatures, supports soil moisture retention and enhances ecosystem stability.
He also raised concerns about the disappearance of pollinators due to excessive chemical use, recalling that honey trading was once common in Northern Ghana.
“Excessive utilisation of chemicals has killed many of these pollinators, and crops and trees depend on them to fruit well,” he said.
Declining soil fertility, he added, has sharply reduced yields. Farmers who previously harvested 12 to 15 bags of maize per acre now struggle to produce four bags.
“The soils are dying. Farming is no longer attractive to the youth because productivity has gone down,” he said.
To address the situation, Eco Restore is promoting improved soil management practices, discouraging bush burning and encouraging the incorporation of organic matter to rebuild soil organic carbon levels.
He explained that bush burning destroys organic matter that would otherwise decompose and enrich the soil.
“As soil organic matter declines, you cannot farm productively,” he noted.
The company is also venturing into carbon credit initiatives in partnership with organisations in the United Kingdom. Under the programme, farmers who maintain tree cover, protect biodiversity and improve soil carbon levels will receive financial rewards.
“The carbon credit system will pay farmers for doing good work maintaining the environment and improving soil fertility while enhancing their livelihoods,” Mr Kpelly said.
He noted that winning the Tree Crops Excellence Award 2026 has drawn greater attention to environmental challenges in Northern Ghana and reinforced the urgency of restoring resilient farming systems.
Mr Kpelly emphasised that biodiversity restoration is not only an environmental necessity but also an economic imperative.
“Everybody here is a farmer. If we don’t bring back fertility and biodiversity, productivity will continue to decline,” he said, calling on stakeholders in the shea value chain, development partners and policymakers to support indigenous tree restoration efforts.
