BootsnAll's Travel Community

RE: http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/05-08/and-then-i-fell...covillage-ghana.html

quote:

Kujo and Amy are sharecropping the land in an agreement with the local villages. They have and will continue to give parts of their crop and profits to the villages.

do they? did they? are they still doing this? they bought the land and prevent the villagers from farming it in case the villagers 'damage the ecology'

quote:

They have yet to see profits but instead are providing education to better the land. They are teaching good agricultural practice to sustain the land for the people and the animals who live here. By gaining volunteers they are helping the children.

certainly they are now making outrageous profit on food and accomodation which does not go near the villagers. The volunteers might help the children; although its more likely the disorganisation and lack of continuity do more damage than good. as well removing the incentive for self organisation.

quote:

It is a completely cooperative farm. They grow vegetables in addition to the mango and palm and eat what they grow. The future of the farm is production of mango juice, palm and mango oil for the villages and outside sales which will be put back into the farm and the community

or the owners bellies. who exactly is cooperating with who? i did not see one example of profits going to local villages. the above is an extremely naive view of what is happening at xofa. All profits go to the farm - ie into the owners pockets. They do very little for the community, and offend more traditional people with their drunken dope smoking. they pay negligible rates to local labourers.

If xofa want to farm mangoes, get rich and smoke dope that's up to them, but to wrap that up in an eco community friendly skin is lies, and those lies are used to push their business to gullible westerners. It's such a shame that people who can write well don't have the sense or courage to check out their sources, especially when those sources are the dubious owners of xofa 'eco' lodge.

Red salmon you seem a might miffed my man you must have visited the place yourself with a more critical eye. But I get your point we should be careful not to asume these eco friendly places are legitamate it is easy to claim that a place is eco friendly and nicely cooperative so profits can hit the roof. I found that place in Auroville India another place that claims they work hand in hand with the local community which could be no more further than the truth.

yup i had the unfortunate experience of staying there, had some gear stolen, had the owner give out the 'what you doin with a white man?' racist crap to my Ghanaian girlfriend...a few expats and travellers with minds left disgusted while i was there..

What a small world. I remember meeting Amy and Kujo in the States some years back.

I too had negetive experience at Xofa so I'd second redsalmon and say don't go there. I was fortunate enough to meet and stay with a very friendly Ghanaian family in a nearby village, a much better choice.