By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, November 7, Mana: Communities in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Mazengera in Lilongwe have started preparing nursery trees, under the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CSE-PWP) in order to prevent crops and their homes from floods during the rainy season.

In an interview on Wednesday during a media tour, Agriculture Extension Development Officer for Nyanja Extension Planning Area (EPA), Alepha Masaiti, said through CS-EPWP, communities have learnt that planting more trees assist in curbing effects of natural disasters such as floods.

Masaiti said trees have proven to be an important tool in bringing back degraded land as a result of uncontrolled running water from the mountain.

“Since we started planting trees through this programme, we have seen many places that were washed away by running water and had big gullies being restored. Farmers are now using such places for farming. We don’t want to lose our land because of gullies,” She said.

Masaiti said, apart from preparing their nurseries, CS-EPWP beneficiaries have also managed to construct stone bunds and swales to control running water.

She, therefore, urged beneficiaries to continue working hard in their fields so that the purpose of the programme is accomplished.

“This programme is for us. It is assisting us, so there is need to work hard because these trees, stone bunds and swales will help control land degradation, water conservation and control soil erosion hence giving us increased crop yield,” she said.

Lilongwe District Land Resource Conservation Officer, Setrida Mlamba, was impressed to see that almost all 23 catchment areas of the programme are registering progress.

“This programme is not only alleviating poverty but also conserving the environment. I am, therefore, optimistic that we will continue registering strides in the subsequent cycles of the programme," she said.

Government, through National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC), increased the number of beneficiaries in Lilongwe with 4,812 bringing a total number of 29,440 beneficiaries from 24,628.

CS-EPWP is a major component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP) which was established to promote rehabilitation of degraded micro-watersheds and restore natural resources.