By Charlie Ligomeka

Machinga, October 9, Mana:  Communities that are participating in the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-PWP) in Machinga said natural tree regeneration is the sure way of restoring lost vegetative cover in most areas that suffered deforestation due to irresponsible human activities.

The communities said this during a tour this week organized by District Community Development Office and District Forestry Office to some of the catchment.

Natural regeneration takes place in many catchments in Machinga among them middle and lower Lingoni with five hotspots namely: Ntibidi, Mputeya, Namichimba, Mayera and Nzimaya where 876 people are engaged in catchment conservation.

Chanyungu Mposa Catchment is another area with 1,223 participating communities also under the CS-PWP.

A farmer from Chanyumgu Catchment, Nnani Hotspot at Traditional Authority (TA) Mposa, Lovemore Chingwaru, said land degradation is one of serious problems that needs to be addressed with community involvement to ensure sustainability.

Chingwaru who comes from Group Village Head Ntambalika, TA Mposa said running water from mountains caused a lot of soil erosion such that this resulted into low harvest among farmers down the mountains.

"We experienced low harvests in recent years because we had a lot of running water from the hill, which washed away top soils.

“Tree regeneration and other land resource activities will help us to save the remaining soil from erosion. By doing this, l’m sure we will have an increased percentage of harvests in the next rainy season,” he said.

Another farmer, Thokozani Mloka, who is also chairperson of middle and lower Lingoni catchment, said communities were able to understand the importance of participating in the CS-PWP, which mobilize communities to participate in tree regeneration to restoring the lost vegetative cover in most areas that had vast forests.

Mloka observed that trees reduce the impact of raindrops on soil as the soil is well protected under forest cover.

"We will not worry of run offs once we have good forest cover. Trees will reduce the speed of water," she said. 

Extension Worker at Middle and Lower Lingoni Catchment in Ntibidi hotspot, Clifford Nkhomba was happy to see communities actively participating in CS-PWP activities.

He observed that the communities were able to understand and appreciate effects of climate change on livelihood in recent years.

“It is really convincing to see people actively participating in restoring their forests through tree regeneration. I think communities now understand relation between deforestation and land degradation following recent rainy season when we had a lot of running off," he said.

Nkhomba, therefore, advised communities to embrace tree regeneration and other sustainable land resource management activities on their own even if CS-PWP phases out.

District Community Development Officer for Machinga, Thokozani Supayo, appealed to communities in the district’s catchments to fully participate in restoring the forests.

He, therefore, encouraged CS-PWP participating communities to adopt climate smart land resources management activities and other best environmental conservation practices to improve soil fertility for improved food production.

Apart from tree regeneration, CS-PWP participating communities in various catchments also participate in other interventions such as stone bands construction, digging swales and manure making to control water flow and improve soil fertility.

The CS-PWP interventions are funded by the World Bank and Multi-donor Trust Fund.

The CS-PWP is under the Social Support for Resilient Livelihood Projects.