landscape restoration in southern africa

Landscape Restoration in Southern Africa:

The benefits and drivers of changes in the density of trees on farms in Malawi

G Kundhlande and BI Nyoka World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

Introduction

• Trees are under severe threat in Malawi with an average rate of deforestation of about 30 000 hectares per year.

• Tree loss is more severe in parts of southern and central Malawi

• The consequences of depletion of trees are:– Land degradation– Reduced soil fertility and reduction in agricultural production– Reduced supplies of firewood and timber for various uses– Reduction in availability of fruits and other natural products– Reduction in ecosystem services (e.g., protection of watersheds,

shade for humans and livestock)– Loss of biodiversity

Tree cover loss and land degradation

Typical landscape in Malawi

Introduction (cont.)

• Efforts have been made to encourage farmers to plant trees, encourage sustainable use and conservation of trees, to help depletion of trees

• ICRAF and other stakeholders have been promoting:

– adoption of agroforestry and other tree based ecosystem approaches to help improve soil fertility, increase availability of fruits, increase supply timber, fuelwood and fodder for livestock

– Improved management of woodlands and sustainable utilisation of forest reserves


• However, taking to scale tree based ecosystem approaches has been hindered by many factors including:– Labour intensity of planting and managing trees– Lack of knowledge on tree management – Lack of access to high quality germplasm – Ecological conditions challenging for establishment of

planted trees– The long wait in most cases it takes before farmers realise

benefits from protecting, planting and managing trees, – Ill-defined tenure rights to land and trees– Lack of local level natural resource management

regulations and enforcement mechanisms


• In the past decade more farmers and communities are managing to increase tree cover on their farmland and on community controlled lands (preliminary results, as the mapping component of the current project established.

• This increase in tree come is as a result in part due to programs promoting tree planting, and also due to farmers protecting and managing naturally regenerated trees

Introduction (cont.)• There is growing focus on FMNR/ assisted

regeneration for increasing tree cover• Many farmers are already familiar with maintaining

trees on crop land– Historically, farmers maintained selected trees on or

around their crop land due to their ability to enhance soil fertility, act as boundary markers or fence, provide shade for humans and animals, act as windbreak, winds, provide fodder or fruit

• There is need to better understand the motivations of farmers for protecting and managing tree regrowth and other enabling factors so that we can facilitate the up-scaling and out-scaling

Drivers of Adoption of FMNR/ Assisted Regeneration

• ICRAF and WRI are undertaking a study to assess the spatial extent for FMNR and to explore the drivers for adoption in Malawi

• Study involves mapping of tree densities on farms in selected districts, a household survey and focus group discussions to explore drivers of adoption

• This presentation provides preliminary information from focus group discussions (accompanying presentation by WRI provides some preliminary results from the mapping exercise)

Drivers of Adoption of FMNR/ Assisted Regeneration (cont.)

• Tree Regeneration: Species Choice • We found trees of different sizes in the same fields

which point to the fact that FMNR is a continuous process.

• Trees are nurtured as they appear on farm.• Trees are regenerated from either seed from the soil

seed bank or shooting from stumps or roots.• Both indigenous and exotic tree species are being

regenerated on farm.• The occurrence of exotic species indicates that tree

planting is also actively pursued by farmers

Tree Regeneration: Species Choice

Both exotic and indigenous tree species are being regenerated

Trees found on farms are of different ages indicating that regeneration is not a one-off event

Tree Based Ecosystems Approaches

• In Balaka district (Shire valley), 36 tree species were found on farms of which 6 were exotic

• In Dowa district, 29 tree species were found on farms of which 4 were exotic.

• Most common indigenous species regenerated are: Piliostigma thonningii, Lonchocarpus spp., Markhamia spp., Combretum spp., Strychnosspp., Annona senegalensis, Dichrostachys cenerea, Brachystagia spp.


District Average farm /plot size

Average number of trees/ ha

Dowa 0.6 15

Balaka 0.5 10

Blantyre 0.4 8

Drivers of Adoption of FMNR/ Assisted Regeneration

• Motivations for farmers

• From Focus Group Discussions held with farmers in the districts of Dowa, Balaka and Blantyre the following were indicated to be the motivations for protecting and managing trees on farmland for those farming households that do:

– Enhancing soil fertility in order to increase agricultural production

– Help to prevent soil erosion and land degradation


Field with Faidherbia albida trees Land with conservation structures and trees


• Providing firewood

Firewood obtained from pruning trees in crop field


• Providing timber for construction of dwellings

• Providing timber for construction of sheds for tobacco curing

Tobacco curing structures


• Other factors cited as making facilitate or hinder farmers from protecting and managing tree regrowth:

– Availability of support (knowledge, skills, planting material and equipment) from NGOs, Extension officers

– Presence of local by-laws and enforcement mechanisms to prevent actions of other members of the community from interfering damaging trees


• Low cost of FMNR/ assisted regeneration – no requirement for managing nurseries and out-planting

• Protect and manage trees which readily regenerate even conditions with low and erratic rainfall.

• Hindrances

• Theft of trees and tree products (wood, fruits)

• Sometimes those who harvest trees especially in communal lands, even dig up stumps and roots (common sources of regenerants)

Thank you

landscape restoration in southern africa

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