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The Chiefs and people of the Lawra Traditional area in the Upper West Region have lauded the efforts of the Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),Mr Nkegbe Asher for contributing immensely to agriculture and environmental development in the area Mr Nkegbe Asher, who was the Upper West Regional Director of the EPA and now in charge of the Upper East Region, was last year also honoured and named� LOGAR� after the founder of the Kanpuo community, for instilling in the people, good sustainable land management practices such as bonding, composting and non-bush burning, among others. . In a citation, signed and read by the Paramount Chief of the Lawra Traditional area, Naa Puowele Karbo III, at this year�s Desertification Day held in the Lawra District, lauded Mr Asher for his integrated interventions approach to sustainable Land and Water Management in the area. According to the Chiefs and people, the former Regional Director played a very significant role in the control of bush fires in the area, by strictly enforcing the bush fire law 1190, which drastically reduced bush burning in the area. �Your introductions of the natural regeneration concept and the sustainable land management practices have also all contributed positively to increase improved crop yields for improved food security in the communities. In recognition therefore, we the Chiefs and people of Lawra Traditional Area at this cherished Desertification Day wish to award you as �LOGAR� for your wonderful performance�, the Paramount Chief said. Mr Asher expressed gratitude to the Chiefs and people for the honour done him, and noted that, under the Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP), which was funded by the Canadian Government and aimed at reversing land degradation in the three northern regions, a lot of interventions had been implemented in the District and had impacted positively on the livelihood of the people. He said integrated approach was adopted under the Sustainable Land and Water Management, which included empowering the communities in the area of compositing, stoned bonding, avoidance of bush burning and staying away from farming along river banks. Communities, he noted, were also empowered and encouraged to adopt Natural Regeneration tree species, which were indigenous and grows naturally. He indicated that the GEMP project also provided livelihood interventions to women groups using sheanuts and the moringa plant to make soap and pomade and also the provision of animals to others vulnerable groups to breed. Mr Nkegbe Asher said since his assumption of duty as the Upper East Regional Director, his outfit, in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, had begun the implementation of the innovations in the Region. He disclosed that the project was supporting seventeen vulnerable women groups, who are in the most deprived communities in soap making and had also supported another vulnerable group to establish a Village Savings and Loan Scheme to support themselves to undertake small scale businesses. The Regional Director said in collaboration with MOFA, Buffer Zones had been established in watersheds areas and along river boundaries in the Talensi, Bawku West and Builsa South Districts to prevent farmers from farming along such areas to avoid flood and to protect the ecosystem.