Community Based Planting & Management of Forest Resources Malawi
Project Description
The overall goal of program is to increase the capacity of targeted communities to sustainably manage forest resources leading to reduced environmental degradation & market opportunities to generate income. Premise of this goal is two-fold:
- There is growing recognition among rural communities to maintain & improve the resource base upon which their livelihoods depend.
- The market for natural resource products is huge & growing.
Achieving this goal will be accomplished through:
- Increased planting of trees & bamboo on individual & communal lands to satisfy local wood needs & to generate income through improved market opportunities to produce, process & sell products from tree & bamboo.
- Managing & enriching indigenous woodlands & riverine/streambank habitats to preserve the ecological integrity, productivity & biodiversity of the rural environment.
- Promoting measures to reduce wood use focusing on planting local bamboo as a practical alternative to wood from trees & introducing improved woodstoves.
The project will use an integrated approach to empower communities to take responsibility for improving their livelihoods. The appeal of this approach is in the multi-purpose uses of trees & their role in maintaining the soil, water & vegetative base. In this context, communities & households benefit directly from increased crop & wood yields, more productive use of labor, & opportunities to increase incomes by developing enterprises based on natural resource products.
Duration
2003 - 2008
Collaborators
- Total Land Care (TLC)
WSU Contact Person
Trent Bunderson, tbunderson@wsu.edu
Malawi Contact Person
Zwide Jere, sdi@malawi.net