Fishing communities plant almost 400,000 trees and 80 woodlots
Village committees in eight districts have planted 396,328 seedlings and brought 159 hectares of degraded land under new cover — almost twice the target.
Under the Integrating Aquaculture-Agriculture to Combat Food Insecurity in Malawi (IAAM) project, 80 village natural resources management committees in Chitipa, Rumphi, Mzimba, Nkhotakota, Dowa, Ntchisi, Zomba and Thyolo have:
established 80 community woodlots — every one of those planned;
planted 396,328 tree seedlings, among them indigenous species, giant bamboo and fruit trees;
covered 159 hectares of degraded land with new vegetation, against a target of 80 hectares;
received 2,400 giant bamboo seedlings, and drafted 80 participatory forest management plans.
The Department of Forestry leads the project’s forestry and biodiversity component. The project, funded by NORAD and implemented by CDF Canada, runs to 2029.
The lesson so far: planting is only the start. Follow-up care decides how many seedlings survive, and livelihoods such as bamboo give communities a reason to keep restoring.
