Temwa - Sustainable Community Development, Malawi

Thursday, 16 June 2011 10:13

Since starting this project on the ground in Malawi in September 2010 huge progress has been made and the many communities that we work with are overjoyed with the results. Over 11,000 trees have been raised and planted, five community tree nurseries have been established, many people have been educated as to the care and importance of trees and many species of tree have been planted out in farmers fields, schools, churches and on open and degraded land.

The Degree Tree project was started with a kind grant from the University of the West of England's Better Together fund. The aim of the project was to plant 6,000 trees in Malawi, one for every student graduating in 2010, to help offset their paper and energy usage. It is estimated that the average university student prints over 700 pages per year during their studies. Since beginning, the project has also received a generous contribution from one of our corporate sponsors, SIFT Media, which has allowed us to expand its scope.

This project, as well as planting trees, aimed to educate local communities in Malawi about the care and importance of trees as well as tackling high levels of malnutrition through the planting and dissemination of fruit trees. This has been carried out through the establishment of five community tree nurseries where the bulk of trees were planted. Temwa has selected and trained ten Village Natural Resource Committees (VNRC) who's job it is to run the nurseries, manage out-planting, ensure that trees are cared for in their establishment and spread information about the importance of trees throughout their communities. Through this important work we are starting to tackle the worrying rate of deforestation in Malawi which causes severe land degradation, habitat loss, increased incidences of damaging floods as well as contributing to global warming.

Within the five community tree nurseries and our own Temwa tree nursery over 27,000 trees were raised for out-planting. These trees included many varieties including mango, paw paw, guava and citrus as well as native tree species including several useful agroforestry species such as nitrogen fixing leguminous trees and fast growing species for firewood. The out-planting started in January and so far over 11,000 trees have been distributed and planted throughout our large catchment area with a population of over 29,000 people. In conjunction with our extensive sustainable agriculture projects, a large amount of trees have been distributed to beneficiary farmers for planting in their fields. Trees have also been planted in schools, churches and on open degraded community land.

One especially mentionable planting took place at Mphande Hill, a very symbolic hill in Usisya that that has been completely deforested and degraded for the growing of cassava. Degraded beyond its capacity to support crops, the hill has been abandoned for many years and stands out in the Usisya community as a potent symbol of the damage unsustainable agriculture practises can inflict upon the surrounding environment.

degree-tree-5 The area of Usisya Proper and the iconic Mphande Hill

On the 24th January, Temwa organised a tree planting day at Mphande Hill which was attended by all Temwa staff, the entire community, officials from the Regional Forestry Office, local journalists, village heads, group village heads, the Tribal Authority (TA) of Usisya and the guest of honour, the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment, the Honourable Ephraim Mganda Chiumia (MP). Planting native Masau and Msambafumu trees, he officially launched the day's event which saw the entire community, including the TA and Temwa's Malawi Programme Director Tonderai Manoto, planting trees over the entirety of Mphande Hill. With help from the communities' army of children, saplings were carried from Temwa's Tree Nursery up to the hill to be planted and during the entire day an amazing 2,788 trees were planted. These included 225 donated by the Department of Forestry.

Combined with other Temwa plantings that have taken place on Mphande Hill this year, the total amount of trees planted on the hill in 2011 is an extremely impressive 6,216. The local community and everyone else involved in the tree planting day were extremely happy with all that was achieved on the day and are especially proud that Mphande Hill will now stand as a potent symbol of their determination to tackle deforestation and protect their local environment for the safeguarding their and their children's futures.

The remaining project activities for this year are the out-planting of the remaining trees, which is happening as we speak, and the establishment of clubs in all the districts schools to promote further environmental conservation awareness amongst the communities of Nkhata Bay North. With help from UWE and Phase II of the Degree Tree project (click here for more information) this project will be continuing throughout this year and into 2012. Temwa and the population of Nkhata Bay North would like to send their heartfelt thanks to UWE and SIFT Media's ongoing support for making it happen.

degree-tree-2 Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment, the Honourable Ephraim Mganda Chiumia, planting the first tree.