Environmental policy and administrative management

Mangochi District, located at the Southern tip of Lake Malawi has a total area of 6,273 square kilometers. Though a fishing district, about 85% of the people in Mangochi depend on subsistence farming. It is clear that with the growing population and the increasing land pressure, there is an increasing demand for urban agriculture. For this to be effective, farming systems have to be compatible with the environment.. Mangochi Town, with a population of about 54,000 people, is one of the fast growing towns in Malawi. This growth has been characterized by an increase in formal and informal settlements, commercial (particularly trading), agricultural and infrastructural activities. This growth has exerted enormous pressure on social services such as water and sanitation, rendering the population to environmental risks. The general picture is that the town is very unhygienic, with mountains of uncollected refuse and a low capacity waste collection service provided by the Mangochi Town Assembly. No proper damping site is available such that waste is damped in the forest outside the town boundary. This can be a source of pollution of rivers and a threat to human health. Further, no other player compliments the work of the Town Assembly at the moment in the area of waste management in spite of water, irrigation and sanitation being the first priority in the Urban Development Plan for Mangochi Town Assembly. Being fully aware that environmental sanitation requires a lot of collaborative effort from multiple stakeholders, SEEED will work with Tiphunzitsane Youth Organization and Mangochi Town Assembly as key implementing partners. In the proposed Project, communities will be supported to turn the decomposable solid waste into manures and other products. Waste recycling and re-use will also be promoted. In view of limited income generation options for communities within and around the town, felling of trees for fuel wood, charcoal, timber, brick burning and boat and curio making has become a major cause of environmental degradation in the district. The proposed Project intends to support communities with improved farming techniques such as organic farming (for those involved in peri-urban agriculture) and alternative livelihood activities such as beekeeping and juice making especially for the youth and women groups. Energy efficient cooking devices (such as cook stoves) will be promoted to reduce wood-fuel consumption and women s drudgery associated with fetching firewood. Project s Main Objective To promote environmental hygiene and sanitation for Mangochi town and conserve and sustainably utilize natural resources in Nansenga EPA in Mangochi District. Implementation Strategy Conduct awareness and sensitization campaigns in all ten wards of Mangochi Town Assembly on environmental care and hygiene and sanitation, Capitalize on synergies in stakeholder expertise, experience and operational areas in sharing out project roles and responsibilities. Promote community-based afforestation and agro-forestry in the project area Provide waste disposal facilities within Mangochi town Promote the utilization of affordable and energy efficient technologies and practices. Promote environmentally friendly alternative livelihood options for rural communities with emphasis on small scale businesses Build a critical mass of communities able and willing to sustainably manage and generate benefits from waste. Key Project Outcomes 1. Sustainable agricultural practices adopted by both peri-urban farmers and those around Mangochi town 2. Increased community awareness and individual interest in environmental hygiene and sanitation issues in Mangochi town 3. Increased community capacity for waste management (separation, re-use, recycling and disposal) 4. At least one viable waste based enterprise 5. Improved state of hygiene and sanitation for Mangochi town in general and individual households in particular 6. Alternative livelihood enterprises for men, women and the youth 7. Increased tree cover due to afforestation and agroforestry activities 8. Increased usage of energy and fuel efficient cook stoves Sustainability of Project Results 1. Use of participatory approaches with emphasis on community-led decision making for all project activities, including identification of problems, formulating solutions and leading implementation will be the basis for project ownership by the communities. 2. The Mangochi Town Assembly, Mangochi District Assembly and the local structures which have been participating in the project will continue overseeing and implementing the interventions after project financing phase. 3. The project will only kick start the process, but the communities with technological skills will continue undertaking the interventions, focusing on the hygiene and sanitation and proper conservation of natural resources, and utilization. 4. Introduction of low cost farming technologies, which are environmentally friendly, will ensure continuity because they are obviously cheap to make. 5. Through enterprise training, encouraging the reinvestment of profits into further enterprise development and stressing the interaction between different activities, participants are likely to sustain initiatives commenced during project phase. 6. Development of independent community structures with membership open to both project and non-project communities, including farmers associations and community groups for management of a range of develop

Malawi