Reforestation Video

In 2006, RIPPLE Africa opened 75 community tree nurseries in Nkhata Bay District, an area of 4,000 sq.km. RIPPLE Africa provided the equipment, seeds and tubes, and the communities supplied the labour. For years, people in Malawi have been cutting down the trees without a tree planting programme, but they are fully aware that this is not sustainable. Tree planting in Malawi, Africa, needs to be part of an ongoing way of life.

We started with an awareness programme, and Chiefs and communities applied to RIPPLE Africa to be part of the tree planting project. We worked closely with the District Forestry Office, and RIPPLE Africa and the Forest Guards helped the communities to set up their tree nurseries, and provided ongoing training and support. It has been a win-win situation. The Forest Guards are keen to help as they are normally short of resources, and this tree planting programme has heightened awareness in their areas. By providing a sustainable supply of wood for the future, it will dramatically reduce the need to encroach into protected forests for firewood and timber. People are beginning to value trees, both as a resource that can be sustainably used for firewood, timber and food, but they also realise that trees are needed to protect and benefit their environment.

Each tree nursery normally comprises 25 people with a committee that is responsible for the ongoing success of the tree planting programme. The communities have taken their tree planting project very seriously and have been justifiably proud of their successes during the year.

This tree planting programme is a very ambitious project, but we have been really impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication that the communities have shown and, although some of the nurseries were less successful than others, which was mainly due to the late supply of materials, others have been outstanding. The original target was for each nursery to produce 10,000 tree seedlings, making a total of 750,000. The reality was a total of 550,000 tree seedlings produced and planted out. This was far better than expected for our first year.