Since January 2006, PPPF has worked with the MORE Institute to research and expand knowledge in the MORE system and provide training for adopted families in the MORE system. PPPF has provided tech transfer and tools for capacity building to improve curriculum at the MORE Institute to better train participants in the MORE system. MORE Institute has been off the grid since 1993 when it moved into its current site or location. Students and trainees have therefore lived on power supplied by a generator bought and shipped to the school by PPPF in January 2007.

In March 2009, PPPF has provided support for MORE Institute to be connected to the grid. MORE Institute has been wired and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has promised that permits and reading meters will be ready by 30^th April 2009.

When MORE Institute gets hooked to electricity, the MORE curriculum will be documented unto computers, and the advantages to the MORE training cannot be overstated.

The MODULAR ORGANIC REGENERATIVE ENVIRONMENT (MORE)  INSTITUTE was certified  under the government of Ghana’s Company Code, 1963 (Act 179) on the 11th of February 2009 as a Non Profit educational Institution after complying with all provision of Sections 27 and 28 of the Ghana government’s company code, 1963.

The MORE Institute’s primary objectives include

• To provide professional, technical training to small farmers.
• Research appropriate tech transfer to support regenerative agriculture.
• Offer extension services in sustainable and regenerative agricultural design to rural villages.
• Provide financial, agribusiness and business development training to farmers.
• Strengthen and conserve biodiversity for increased agricultural productivity.

The MORE Institute goes beyond conventional training by providing equipment and technical assistance to small farm families to set up their own MORE system improving yields by 300 to 1000 percent while building the environment.

The mission of The MORE Institute is to remain at the forefront of research, training, in the use of modular closed loop systems. MORE Design training is a bottom up approach for environmental conservation and wealth creation for farming families.

Refresher Training Workshop for 30 Adopted Families and 17 new families on Four MORE Modules Completed in Essienimpong, EJisu Juaben Municipal

A one-week refresher training workshop for 30 adopted families and 17 new families on the waiting list has just been completed in the month of March at the Essienimpong Community in the Ejisu Juaben District. The workshop covered four of the Modules including, Rabbit production, Rural Poultry, Mushroom Production, Tree nurseries maintenance, transplanting management, and young tree care. Also covered under the workshop were Savings and Banking culture, Group dynamics and healthy food and nutrition.

The refresher workshop had become necessary because adopted families who are making more money requested training in savings and Banking culture. Others presented problems in their MORE farms that needed to be addressed and the families needed to receive new improved skills in the MORE system.

Present at the workshop was the Municipal Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) , and the MOFA Extension Officer in charge of the Essienimpong, Kwaso, Achinakrom and Abenase Division. Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs. Beatrice Asante Mante, the Municipal MOFA Director said, they have heard so much about the MORE system and the MORE training and she has been eager to participate in the training to observe its effectiveness. She is now convinced that the training is very appropriate and she would wish that all the farmers in her Municipal can benefit from the MORE training. The Extension Officer, Mr. Nchel also added that, the Ministry will continue to provide extension services to the Adopted farming families until their incomes increase tremendously.

Another batch of Peace Corps volunteers received training in the MORE system from the 22^nd to the 26^th of March 2009. The 33 PC volunteers and their local counterparts received training in 4 modules of the MORE system including agro-forestry and tree nurseries, bee keeping, rural poultry, and mushroom production. Speaking during the ceremony, Mr. Samuel Danquah, the head of the Environmental Section of the Peace Corps said the previous batches of Peace Corps volunteers who received the training were very impressed with the MORE skills and its level of applicability at the community level. He mentioned that in an end of year evaluation 100% of the volunteers who received the training said the skills were very applicable in their work at the village and community levels. He intimated that, Peace Corps Ghana is very grateful for the MORE skills and that they shall continue to bring batch after batch to benefit from the training. He also mentioned that Peace Corps Ghana will want to set up their own MORE system to for continuous training and supply of MORE materials for volunteers in the near future.