Environmental research

People of STA Tsikulamowa, Senzani, depend on charcoal selling as their primary source of income. However, the way charcoal is produced will lead to depletion of the natural forest cover. The project theme, From Mining to Harvesting is aimed at highlighting the need for using natural resources sustainably as happens in harvesting, unlike in mining where resources are used to depletion. The situation in Malawi is such that deforestation rate per annum averages 2.8% or 50,000 to 75,000 hectares of natural forests (Department of Energy, 2006). The high deforestation rate is attributed to the high dependence on woodfuel, which accounts for 93% of the country s energy demand. The clearing of forests affects the natural method of cleaning the atmospheric carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Plants and sea water are natural carbon dioxide sinks (Hinrichs & Kleinbach, 2002). Accumulation of carbon dioxide leads to global warming that leads to climatic change. To help people of STA Tsikulamowa stop practices that are contributing to climate change, alternative sources of income to charcoal selling are required. Primary Objective The primary objective of this proposal is to offer the people of STA Tsikulamowa technologies that would enable them engage in alternative enterprises to charcoal burning and selling. Specifically, the project seeks to: 1. train and support three groups, of thirty people each, in business areas of beekeeping, poultry and guinea fowl raring and mushroom growing technologies. 2. demarcate six five-hectare Village Forestry Areas (VFA) one in each of the six Group Village Headmen from STA Tsikulamowa. 3. link all the six VFAs to the Tree Planting and Management for Carbon Sequestration and Other Ecosystem Services Programme (TPMCS). Implementation Strategy 1. Awareness raising on global environmental issues 2. Community training on Business management 3. Direct support (seed resources) for enterprise development (income generating activities) Expected Key Outcomes: 1. Increased awareness and skills on alternative livelihood activities 2. Increased tree cover 3. Increased household incomes 4. Local policies incorporating lessons learned from the SGP project Plan to ensure sustainability of project results: 1. Integrating project activities within local CBOs ensures is a key exit strategy component 2. Community involvement at all level of project ensures community ownership. 3. Successful income generating activities tend to motivate participants as there is a direct benefit to continuing with interventions, even without external funding

Malawi