Gladys Chimkonda has had enough of deforestation in her area. The 28-year-old mother of three says the depletion of forest cover in recent years in her area of Makata, an area located 30 kilometres outside commercial hub Blantyre, has enormously affected her and other villagers. She is forced to walk long distances to find firewood, which a decade ago was readily available in her area.
“In order for me to find firewood for my household, I walk two kilometres to the nearest private forest to buy firewood. This is tiresome and time consuming, which means missing other errands I could have done for the betterment of my family’s household,” she says.
Forest cover in Makata, as in most parts of Malawi, has dwindled alarmingly due to the wanton cutting down of trees to make charcoal, firewood for household cooking for the ever-increasing population and for using to burn the soil bricks that 95 percent of Malawians use for constructing houses and public infrastructure such as churches, schools, clinics and trading shops.
Chimkonda says the demand for bricks in her area and the nearest town of Lunzu has led people in her area to cut down trees and sell them to brick merchants, who use tree logs to fire brick kilns, leaving most of the area bare and exposing households to hazards such as soil erosion, inconsistent rain patterns and natural disasters.
“The demand for firewood is high these days as everyone prefers constructing houses using baked bricks which are durable and there has been a construction boom in the semi-urban and urban centres, prompting brick merchants to mould and bake more bricks, translating into more trees being cut down,” she adds.
Chimkonda says while brick merchants go for big trees, other sizeable trees have been targeted by charcoal and firewood vendors who are cutting down and selling them to low-income urban dwellers, who use them for cooking and heating.
One of the drivers of deforestation in Malawi is the country’s heavy dependence on wood for meeting its energy needs, as 89 percent of its 17 million people do not have access to electricity; and the majority of those who have electricity still use wood for cooking because of the cost. This continues to exacerbate the deforestation situation.
Deforestation has led to land degradation and, for an agro-based economy like Malawi, this means a reduction in productivity in farming and also fishing in the country’s major rivers and lakes as water from streams washes more silt into the water bodies.
With the second highest annual deforestation rate in Africa at 2.8 percent, Malawi lost 36 percent of its forest cover between 1972 and 2011. With this alarming trend, the country could find itself stripped of all trees by 2079 if left unaddressed.
Closing the gap
However, Chimkonda and other local farmers are addressing this by planting more trees so that the area is replenished and can, in the long run, provide fuel wood and other wood needs. She says while previously they did not have expertise in tree propagation so they lacked tree seedlings, now she and other six farmers spread across 20 square kilometres have acquired tree propagation skills from a retired forestry officer who settled in the area several years ago who volunteered to teach any willing and interested people.
Chimkonda says that, through the forestry officer, she and other farmers have learnt plant propagation which she describes as the technique of creating new plants from existing plants through seeds, stem cuttings and bulbs. Through the acquisition of tree propagation skills, they have been able to establish community tree nurseries. Several individuals, including Chimkonda, have their own tree nurseries, which they use to replenish her family’s woodlot while she sells the rest of the seedlings to the surrounding community members.
To produce high-quality tree seedlings, Chimkonda explains that several factors are considered, including quality of seeds, soil type, land topography and water supply. Without taking these into account, seedling production can be affected by low germination rates, which affects the desired goal of producing enough seedlings for her and the community.
“Through the tree propagation skills training, I learnt about how to come up with high-quality seedlings by finding the best-quality seeds, suitable soil and reliable nearby water supply point for the tree nursery,” she says.
Tree propagation gives Chimkonda great satisfaction in knowing she has played her part in increasing certain species of trees; one of most rewarding aspects of afforestation. This has in turn saved the community some precious time and cash that would have been spent on buying seedlings from a nursery elsewhere. So far, she has been supplying her community of 300 households with indigenous tree seedlings at a fraction of the price they would have gotten elsewhere.
“While previously we used to buy seedlings from the market at prices most of us could hardly afford, nowadays we are able to produce seedlings which everyone here can afford and, in so doing, help in replenishing our diminishing forest cover,” she explains.
Another farmer who has his own tree nursery is Daniel Mwanala. The 31year old who, alongside his wife, runs an exotic tree nursery. He decided to concentrate on producing exotic tree species of eucalyptus – or blue gum as it is locally known – because this type of tree is commonly used in the area for, among other things, roofing poles for houses and cooking purposes.
“Most people here cannot afford timber in order to meet their house roofing needs such that they use tree poles instead of timber and most of them prefer using blue gum poles because they are long and straight, unlike other commonly found tree species,” he explains.
The father of three explains that another advantage of blue gum tree is its ability to regenerate quickly after being cut down; within several months of being cut down, a blue gum tree stump regenerates to produce several offshoots, which grow into bigger and taller branches within a period of three years, thereby guaranteeing continued future use.
Mwanala explains that exotic tree species like blue gum and acacias help take the pressure off indigenous trees as they offer alternative source of usable wood to people in the area while, at the same time, giving the indigenous trees enough time to grow and mature.
“Blue gum tree is a lifeline to most households here as it provides fuel wood and poles. This, in turn, helps in reducing the rate of deforestation on indigenous tree species,” he says.
Deforestation is also leading to reduced access to clean water as some of the boreholes that are a major source of clean water for most Malawians in rural areas are drying up in the summer months of September, October, and November due to the lower water table.
Mwanala’s wife, Mary Dalion, assists her husband in taking care of the nursery by weeding and watering the seedlings. She says she felt duty bound to contribute to the afforestation efforts so that their future, and that of the community’s children, is guaranteed to have better tree and water availability.
“As a mother who is experiencing fuel wood and water challenges due to heavy deforestation in the area, I would not love to see my children growing up and going through the same, hence doing my part in producing seedlings for the community,” she says.
“Losing forests affects the country’s biodiversity which is also under increasing threat of over-exploitation.”
Mwanala, however, is urging government and other stakeholders to quickly identify more sustainable and affordable construction materials that could replace baked soil bricks, a major cause for high deforestation rates in her area.
James Kalulu, the retired forestry officer who has been offering tree propagation training to village nursery owners says he is equally concerned with the environmental degradation in the area. This is why he thought equipping fellow villagers with tree propagation could help in combating climate change.
“I thought of doing my part in environmental conservation by sharing my tree propagation knowledge and skills with fellow villagers so that we make a better tomorrow for our children,” says the 63 year old who worked with the forestry department for 25 years as a forestry assistant.
Forests account for 4 percent of Malawi’s total wealth and 7.5 percent of its natural capital. Perhaps continued efforts by local subsistence farmers like Chimkonda, Mwanala and Kalulu, combined with other stakeholders’ contributions, will make a significant difference in the fight against deforestation.
Images by Deogracious Benjamin Kalima